23 Chapter 21: Intentions (Final Part - 2/2)

Date: August 16, 2008

Location: Downtown Gotham City, New Jersey, Old Gotham

Time: 4:42 P.M.

*GROWL!*

Inside a paw-shaped crater, Brutus' head loomed over his master and friend's blank visage, his body shaking in slight pain as he did his best to hold him down. Watching him a little ways away, the heroes had gathered, forced to watch the sight.

"What are we waiting for Batman?" Oliver impatiently asked.

It had been a few minutes since J'onn had entered Ben's mind, and Bruce had held everyone back, waiting for a single moment where he could have them pile onto his son. Not only did they need a break from non-stop battling, but he didn't know how long they would have to react.

"Just be ready." he warned.

He was right to do so as Ben's body, still struggling in the Cerberus' hold, abruptly stilled.

After confirming Ben's floundering to have ceased, Bruce quickly double-checked to see J'onn completely still as well.

"Now's our chance!" he shouted, the group rapidly surrounding Ben at his words.

*AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!*

Just as Captain Marvel and Superman held Ben's arms steady, everyone was forced to turn their attention to the gut-wrenching cries coming from their Martian friend. 

Tightly gripping his head, root-like black lines crawled around J'onn's eyes, reaching up into his skull. A sigil in the shape of an upside-down triangle with five lines extending upwards from the base briefly appeared on his forehead before vanishing, the Manhunter slumping on his side.

An even bigger wave of black exploded from Ben's position, pushing everyone but Brutus away. The half-green armor darkened once more, two-thirds of it being covered in a collage of black.

Calloused palms meeting furry hands, Ben pushed the Cerberus up as his feet got back under him. In an unforeseen frenzy of strength, he tossed Brutus away into a nearby lake, a giant fist forming from the black gas as it repeatedly slammed into the water. Finally, Ben tossed a few Traveler cards for good measure as they exploded into a geyser which he ignored, racing to confront his enemies. 

"Superman." Bruce alerted.

"I got him."

Before anyone could react, Ben was already in front of the Kryptonian, his left fist caught in Superman's iron clutches.

"Nice job Supes!" Hal cheered with raised hands from the nearby building. 

He was feeling extra responsible for this mess, so he was trying to remain quiet the whole time. However, thinking it was over, he made his voice known.

His partner didn't agree with that assessment.

"Can you be serious?" John growled, elbowing his friend. "You're distracting them."

"It's fine." Superman habitually appeased the bickering duo. "I got-"

Suddenly stumbling both in his words and flight, Clark rotated his head back to find out why, a fist enlarging in his vision.

*CRACK*

Skyrocketing back into a hovering Captain Atom, the two collided in a heap as they were flung out of the park, shredding through a rooftop water tower.

"What happened?!" a drenched Captain Atom shouted. Turning over the unresponsive Clark, he became astounded. 

Droplets poured down the Man of Steel's hair and ran over a green diamond-shaped mark stamped onto his cheek. The veins going down his neck became more prominent, throbbing a lively green.

"Oh boy…" he mumbled, picking up the weakened Man of Steel onto his shoulders as he flew off to rejoin the rest.

Putting down his outstretched right fist, Ben scanned the remaining wary heroes.

"Look at his ring finger!" Barry pointed out.

"Which one?!" Oliver hissed. "There are 2!"

"Not that! His RING finger!"

Ironically, another ring had at some point managed to settle onto the aforementioned digit, much more jagged in appearance than the other emerald rings, but brighter in radiance.

"Kryptonite?!" Barry shouted in alarm, the rest mimicking his reaction at the identification of the material.

Bruce stared at the alien jewel before he input a few commands into his utility belt. A small lead-lined pocket opened up on his left side, completely barren of any contents.

'When did he take it?' Bruce racked his brain, failing to find an answer.

Zeroing in on a floating figure, a hungry glint of desire exploded out from Ben as he charged the man while everyone was regathering their bearings, gripping him by the shoulders.

'He wasn't after Superman…' Bruce paid close regard to the oddity in his son's actions and remembered his earlier flight trajectory after he shook off Brutus.

"Why's he after me?!" a baffled Captain Marvel cried, unable to escape from Ben's snares. Somehow, his strength had managed to reach unknown parameters, exceeding his own. Eyes boring into the man, dancing lights of every color streamed out from Captain Marvel as they entered Ben's open mouth.

"Woa…h. Is thi…s wha..t DRinKi…ng feL Like?" the Captain's words impossibly slurred as his skin slowly started turning a coal black.

Their heavy hitters incapacitated, Bruce shouted for the only functional group available. "Team 2!"

Aquaman and Kaldur jumped from out of the bushes and onto Ben's back, trying to pry his fingers off the Captain. Meanwhile, Dinah did what she'd been doing, relentlessly greeting Ben with Canary Cries.

It was useless. He wouldn't budge.

"Somebody do something before he kicks the bucket!" Barry shouted in anxiousness as Captain Marvel started shriveling up.

As if the heavens heard him, a mighty bolt of lightning struck down from the clouds, an uncanny roar of pain tearing out of Ben's throat as he was flung away.

Regaining some breath, Captain Marvel collapsed to the ground. "Man that was close. I almost turned into Captain Mummy."

"Good work." Bruce surprisingly complimented. Parts of the gas surrounding Ben had disappeared, making it easier for them to get close.

But their window of opportunity was closing, the black around Ben already reforming at a quicker rate.

"Sorry, but that wasn't me." Captain Marvel bitterly smiled.

"It's fine." Bruce reassured. "We've been given a leg up regardless. Our changes of stopping him have risen."

"Yeah, but with who?!" Oliver shouted back. "Most of our heavy hitters are down and you've got another one on watch duty!"

At his words, a war-filled shout was heard as Ben was sent through a small hill, a woman in a leather red/blue bodice and skirt hovering over his previous location.

"I'm taking a lunch break!" Diana flew in pursuit of Ben, the tied-up Joker and Harley's complaints being muffled as they hung off a nearby tree.

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*

Diana rolled around in the breeze, effortlessly evading Ben's sonic cries time until she got close enough to land, grabbing his shoulder and throwing him over hers in a judo throw.

Ben didn't let it stick, masterfully kicking himself off the ground and rotating into a knee to her stomach. The woman blocked it with her right bracelet as she gave him an uppercut with her left fist. 

Lifted off the floor from the force, Diana grabbed Ben's ankle before he could travel any further and swung him like a hammer back and forth.

Her enemies were usually so aware of her power-set that they forgot about her heritage. Amazonians were a long-lived warrior race that mastered the art of war over their many millennia spent secluded from Man's World. 

As their princess, Diana was granted an amazing opportunity. Although young appearance-wise, she was older than most, and her life was spent bathing in the combat forms of her people.

Which is precisely why Bruce put her on monitor duty.

Keeping her one-handed grip on Ben's ankle, Diana finally added the second into the equation, spinning in place to gather momentum-

"Wonder Woman! Don't let go!"

-before she let go.

Ben tilted his body downwards to allow his hands to deeply clasp the dirt, the force generated skillfully being redirected right back in the form of a double mule kick.

No doubt unprepared, Diana was struck in the chest, metal groaning and wood scattering as she careened through a row of benches. 

Bruce sighed.

Thousands of years of blood, sweat, and tears… all of it could be jotted down by the entity inside Ben with a couple of exchanges, strengthening its skills.

"Well…" Will gulped. "That was short-lived."

As he realigned his twisted stance to normal, Ben turned to the spectating Zataras, slowly floating towards them.

"We can't let up." Bruce gritted his teeth. Getting close to Ben was futile, so he was still thinking about ways to finish things up.

-Good thing I had a second assault team on standby.-

Like a bolt out of the blue, a roar managed to drown all surrounding noises as Ben was violently tackled.

Dust kicked up as Ben was dragged through a children's playpark, thunderous shouts and blasts of energy escaping from the obscuring cloud.

"ESAMAL!" Wally called out. "You are the man!"

"Kenzo?" Bruce squinted his eyes.

-Yup.-

Kenzo had arrived around the same time as Brutus. At first, ESAMAL had planned for the two to tackle Ben together. However, when Brutus impulsively went in headfirst and failed to make a difference, Kenzo decided to stay back and wait in the shadows for the perfect time to strike.

Finally returning, Captain Atom floated down beside the group as he gently placed a mostly recovered Superman on the floor. "What did we miss?"

"Be ready to take action." Bruce simply told them, turning to the shocked Zataras. "You three as well."

*ROOOOOOOOOOAAAR*

A burst of wind picked up, the dust clearing up to give a clear view of the ongoing scuffle.

Mighty jaws tightly encasing his right forearm, Ben was forced to look up into Kenzo's fierce gaze, the liger making full use of his weight and strength to keep his paws pressed on his master's chest.

As the majority breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, a few were more focused on something else.

"Now's our chance!" Dinah homed in on an object lying a few feet away from the two's head.

Noticing what she was talking about, Barry hurtled off, shifting through the playground slide's scraps in order to pick up the piece of alien space rock that had been dislodged during the scuffle, depositing it in the reinforced lead box Bruce took out in anticipation.

Then, Captain Atom, Aquaman, Kaldur, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel quickly moved to assist Kenzo. They kept Ben's hands and legs secured, allowing the Zatara family to swiftly surround them in a triangle formation.

"How long do they need?" Wally asked from behind the two groups.

"Quiet." Kaldur managed to spare some attention to reprimand him. "Should you disturb their concentration, the spell will rebound violently. In the worst case scenario, if another attempt is required, they may be unable to perform it." 

That explanation caused Will and Bruce to glare at the speedster, his shoulders slumping.

After checking over their positions, the trio began to slowly chant in unison.

"O magne Spiritus Magicae. Audi preces nostras et adiuva animam pueri huius ad corporis formam redi."

Their tones turned ethereal.

"O magne Spiritus Magice. Da nobis fortitudinem tuam, et opem nobis praebe ad hanc animam reddendam."

Their speech surged in volume and speed.

"O magne Spiritus Magicae. Da nobis sapientiam tuam et sinas nos hanc entitatem e vasculo removere." 

Hands raised, the trio recited those lines separately a few more times until their eyes turned white and their voices unified to reach a crescendo.

"Hsinab siht ytitne morf ecnehw ti emac dna nruter ot siht ydob s'ti lufthgir luos!"

Their plea finally chanted to the universe, a white chain of light extended from Ben's chest and reached up towards the sky.

"Is it working?" Barry whispered.

Bruce couldn't answer him, having to turn away from the ritual due to the sounds of beeping coming from his belt.

The link continued to wave around the clouds in random directions for a while, right until it ground to a halt.

"I'm guessing that's not supposed to happen." Wally muttered, steadily backing away.

The chain's tip abruptly cracked, the white seeping out to make way for the black creeping back down.

"ESAMAL." Zatanna murmured, sweat dripping from her and her parents' brows. "Is there anything you forgot to tell us?"

-I'm just as lost as you are! I don't know what's going on!- he panicked.

"I do." Bruce growled, the beeping from earlier being amplified as he held a bat-radar in his hand. "Take a look around."

They all did as he said, finding nothing amiss.

"Wait a minute…" Oliver muttered as he loudly exhaled his breath, fog appearing in front of his lips.

"Mist?" Aquaman was bewildered. "On an August summer day?"

"My king…" Kaldur called for the man's attention, pointing at the nearby lake. "It's not just the fog."

Flakes of ice were seen bobbing on the water's surface, more space being taken up as time passed.

"Black isn't a light or color." Bruce explained, observing the predominance of it on his son's armor. "It's the absence of it. And that absence is formed by-"

"Absorption." Barry and Wally's scientific minds caught up simultaneously as they spoke.

"Then the lack of heat that we're observing right now…" they paled.

"A black hole." Bruce confirmed, everyone else paling too.

"But only heat is currently being affected." Wally exclaimed, waving around to bring further attention to their wintry surroundings. "Gravity isn't collapsing in on itself and light isn't being attracted. Where is it getting the mass necessary to function?"

"We can't fully understand the smoke's properties. It's possible that it's emulating the properties of mass without holding the same weight." Bruce simply stated. "Microscopic black holes have been theorized…"

"But never proven!" Barry argued.

"Can we throw down like men about this later and focus on the walking ball of doom?!" Oliver shouted.

The magical chain was almost fully soaked in the inky black, Giovanni being the first to give way as he fell down in exhaustion.

"Mom!" Zatanna shouted, the strain increasing as only her and her mother were left holding the spell together. Putting effort into meeting her daughter's eyes, Sindella saw the desperate plea within them. "Please… we have to try it."

Hesitating, Sindella looked at Ben's reaper-like form before determination overcame her. "Very well."

A purple glow appeared above her brows and that of Zatannas, mingling with the white light as it fought against the encroaching black. 

The duo was still new to spiritual energy and hadn't learned many ways to utilize it like Ben had, only knowing the bare minimum. Regardless, using the snippets of knowledge she had at her disposal, Zatanna had theorized that since spiritual energy was most closely linked to the soul, perhaps it could be used to reach out to Ben. 

Just like how everyone had different emotional signatures, the same should stand true for spiritual energy. Although they'd never observed each other's signatures before, Zatanna believed that she could identify Ben's if she got close enough.

All Zatanna needed was a connection to be established, just for a split-second…

Sad to say, Sindella had hesitated earlier because she still feared the unknown of her past. Even though she had gotten the energy under control, she had never used it outside the warded Shadowcrest manor in paranoia that the Hidden Ones could trace her.

That hesitation cost them too much time.

As the strain grew worse and worse, it soon overwhelmed the two. As the bond finally became soaked in black…

-TAKE COVER!-

…it snapped apart.

*KA-BOOOM!*

A massive black plume swept outward from the park. Everything it encompassed, shops, light poles, trees, flowers… all of it evaporated into smoke.

Civilians watching from afar screamed as pieces of billboards high above them crumbled and power lines swayed. Working overtime, Hawkman and Hawkwoman scrambled to evacuate them by land or air while Red Tornado rushed to spawn gales, doing his best to keep the aftermath at bay.

When the backdraft slowed down enough, the Hawk couple perched on a nearby building, shielding a couple of civilians with their wings as they finally managed to look out into the distance.

A field of ash had replaced the park where their comrades were previously stationed, flecks of soot gently settling onto the spectator's horrified forms.

"Batman." Hawkman spoke into his communicator. "Come in."

No response.

"Wonder Woman!" he started to become agitated. "Superman! Lanterns!"

His every attempt was met with silence. 

Crunching sounds accompanying their every step, a figure walked up to a huddled-up Brutus who was radiating waves of red that formed a dome around many unconscious bodies, the hellhound's three heads snarling in both warning and slight fear.

With a deep inhale, all the red coming off the massive Cerberus flew straight into the figure's nose and mouth, a blissful expression momentarily crossing their face. Brutus whimpered in pain and weakness, slowly tipping over.

Walking past the beast, the figure pulled his hand, forcing the branch of a now-dead tree carrying a dizzy Joker and Harley Quinn to lean down toward them. Watching as the two plopped down on the ground, the figure dissolved their gags with a simple hand wave.

Gulping, Joker looked up to find Ben's black eyes piercing into him.

"...you wouldn't bake a nice clown like me into charcoal, would you?"

------------------

Date: Unknown

Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown

Ben continued speaking with his mother, sitting beside her as he spoke of his tales alongside Bruce and Dick, Alfred's dry but witty banter, and all the good times he's spent with his familiars. A few empty glasses and a pitcher of juice had appeared on the desk beside them at some point, Mary serving it for them.

"Is that true?" Ben suddenly asked in surprise.

"Yes." Mary took a sip from her cup. "I only found out about it a few weeks before my escape. Perhaps only grandfather knows his true name."

The revelation she was referring to that had Ben a little worked up was that Sensei was also his great-great-grandfather, Ra's Al Ghul's father. While surprising, that little tidbit added up to the previous reasoning Bruce had recorded. Sensei was known to have soaked in the pits over the years alongside Ra's, and family relations seemed to play a role in that. Although, how much of it was pure relations seemed up for debate.

Ben couldn't dwell on the revelation for long as Mary sighed in wonder. "I still can't believe that I knew the real face behind Batman." 

Batman was already a legend by the time she arrived in Gotham, with controversy circling around the hero's identity and questionable methods daily. Finding out that she knew the man under the mask caused so many previously unexplainable details to fall into place.

"I'm glad that you found another form of parental love with your father." she smiled in relief.

That hit home. So engrossed in catching up with his mother, Ben had succeeded in forgetting about how he ended up here.

"...I have an important question to ask you." he suddenly spoke.

Mary enthusiastically patted his arm as she waited.

"Was there ever a day where you… blamed me for all the pain and suffering?" he asked, the weight of two worlds hidden within.

Mary was stunned, Ben uncaring as he became more and more perturbed. "Do you think you could've lived joyfully with father if you didn't have me?"

Back in his last universe, his parents provided everything for him. He was a burden. He knew it. Nobody could convince him otherwise. Maybe that's why he always did his best for his current family. 

It was easy to feel ashamed when you realize how much you're taking rather than giving.

"What brought this on?" Mary uneasily tapped his palm, putting her cup to the side.

"...He betrayed me." Ben looked down, having already told her earlier about Bruce's actions. "He discarded everything our bond was built upon just to keep a secret from me."

Ben's body shook. "I want to justify his reasons. I want to plead for his case. But I can't…" 

Earlier when Mary became terrified at the mention of Bruce's name, Ben's first instinct was to defend his father. However, the longer he conversed with his mother, the easier it was for so many repressed memories and nightmares to boil over.

His emotional state could be likened to water being held behind a dam. The dam is normally either shut or open just a smidgen. In the astral realm, it opens wide enough for Ben to feel a steady stream of feeling that allows him to act normally, keeping the remaining clean water reserved.

But right now… the dam had burst with everything trying to flush out, the mud and filth hidden underneath the surface included. 

The uselessness Ben felt never left him, waiting to come forth.

"Was I too clingy or needy?" he suddenly questioned as he started rattling off. "Was I not pleasing enough? Was it because I overexamined most of his actions and debated his choices too often?"

"Did I come off as too independent? Did I come off as possessive? Were the demands, requests, and expectations that I asked… no… begged for… too frequent and unrealistic?"

He thought back to the time at Thanksgiving dinner and slammed his hand down onto the desk beside him, startling Mary. 

"Was it for the single time I laid myself bare and managed to find proof of his care?!"

He had an unwavering trust in his father. He did. Even though he got through it, even if it was only for a short time, living on the streets while knowing his mother and father were gone was worse than hell for Ben. Nothing felt the same anymore, and it wasn't entirely because of the effect his powers had on him. 

Family was, and still is, everything to Ben. That was why he did his best to look out for those that made him feel belonged. Dick, Selina, Bruce, Alfred… he did his best to make sure everyone was happy, healthy, and safe. At first, he started training day in and day out only to get his powers under control, but that rapidly changed.

He became invested. He experienced another home. He experienced the danger surrounding them and wanted more than just to chip in. He was so blinded by the idea of living in this second life the way he envisioned in his last that he didn't realize everything was already falling apart from the start.

'I should've been looking out for myself first.' Ben looked at the hospital gear around him, the poeticness of the situation not falling short for him as he tiredly leaned his head back on the bed.

In the end, he was right back where he started. The seeps of delight that had managed to reheat Ben's waning heart vanished. A yearning he previously thought to be bright and beautiful was now revealed to him as foolish. 

Mary was incredulous, a deafening silence overtaking her.

"Oh my poor baby…" she mournfully whispered, Ben's heart tearing apart when he witnessed the tears escaping her eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to suffer so long under such thoughts."

Getting out of her seat, Mary gently moved Ben aside as she sat right next to him on the bed, cradling his head over her bosom.

"I can't speak for your father." her voice was dispirited. "I can't grant you closure on his behalf, it would be meaningless. I have no similar well of experience or wisdom to share with you that can allow you to overcome this tribulation."

"But I can assure you…" she firmly propped his head up in her hands and touched her forehead with his. "I have never hated you nor wished I didn't have you."

"Yes, there were times that I failed to repress some more… unsavory… reactions, cursing the world and God for the state of things that befell us. But I could never blame you."

She pondered a bit before she asked him. "Do you know of the importance and history of our Arabic names?"

Not knowing where she was going with this, Ben nodded his head regardless, having already brushed up on most things relating to his culture. In Arabian history, many of the names in the resulting language were also Hebraic and Greek in origin, being spoken similarly at times as well. 

Ra's was a perfect example of this since, not only was his name phonated using Hebraic pronouns (Ra's is spoken as "raysh" in Hebrew), his Demon's Head title was Hebraic in origin too (Ra's Al Ghul in Hebrew translates to "The Ghoul's Head").

"Names give us meaning." Mary spoke seriously. "Even though we don't realize it, the majority of our character comes from them."

"I didn't lie when I said that I don't know my mother, but I came to realize some things about her after so many years." she smiled, a proud aura emanating from her. "Perhaps it was unintentional, but my name was the one thing she left behind for me, and once I learned its true meaning, I came to cherish it."

"Maryam can mean many things, the words, bitter, beloved, and rebellious being key." she explained. "And I, Maryam Al Ghul, encompass all of them."

"I am a beloved daughter to a mother filled with an unknown bitterness that compelled her to abandon her child and rebel against her family, and I grew up to be a rebel myself."

"...But I am also a Cain. A cursed name meant for cursed men, demons, and murderers." she spoke that last part with sorrow.

Ben looked at her, putting his hand in hers as she smiled again. "The reason I always hated carrying my father's name is because I never felt that I, nor he, was worthy of it. David was the name of a mighty king who sired an equally mighty son, yet my father tarnished such a legacy by indulging himself in slaughter and vice. Meanwhile, I tainted it with my sins."

"I originally changed my name to Mary David to flee from him, but when I had you, I saw the future. The potential to show the world the beauty I felt when I first held you in my arms."

"So please… never believe that I couldn't have wanted you." Mary chided him, running her fingers through his hair. "Even if I was given the option to choose another life without you in it, I would refuse. You are what I sought with my entire being." 

"Benjamin means 'the son of my right hand'. I hope with all my heart that you remain in God's graces."

Ben looked deep into his mother's eyes, only able to rely on his intuition and the feelings he felt when speaking with her to tell if any falsehood was present in her words. 

Suddenly, Mary's body started to glitch and glimmer as parts of her skin broke off her body, turning into tiny white dots that disappeared soon after.

"It seems that my time is up." she sighed. Looking down at Ben, she hugged him tightly while he remained stuck in place. "Death is a rest without end, so I'm glad to have stretched my bones for a short while." she chuckled as she looked at her fading hands.

Ben struggled to say something, too many emotions rearing their heads within him. "I-"

"I already know." her tone was nothing but tender. "It's better left unsaid."

"Before I go…" she hesitated. "It's unbecoming for me to take advantage of you like this, but I wish to ask for a favor."

"Anything." Ben immediately agreed. He was never able to do anything for her. She gave him too much, and he felt ill not trying to repay her.

"That little girl you told me about, take care of her." she softly spoke. 

Leaning down, Mary gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Binyamin. Habib albi*. Take care." she bid farewell, walking towards the unknown black door and yanking it open before Ben had a chance to react.

(*Habib albi - literally translates to "my sweetheart".)

Darkness flooded the room as Ben's senses shut down. Unable to witness what lay beyond, he could only wait until the lights came back on, his mother gone.

He sat there in silence, his mind solely revolving around preserving her every word and gesture.

Nobody ever truly realizes the extent of a mother's sacrifice until it's too late. 

Their name loses meaning as it's changed to just "mom". Their priorities mean little in the face of their children. People watch and judge their parental choices. Her arms become preserved, only meant to hug her children's faces as she comforts their tears…

Yet, as Ben cried alone, he felt fulfilled to have experienced for himself the answer to a question unsolved by many.

'Even in death, a mother's love remains eternal.'

"Amen to that."

Startled out of his thoughts, Ben whipped his head away from the door and back to his bedside to find a woman having taken up the chair at some point.

Like an old-styled TV set, her monotone white skin contrasted with her black hair and apparel, a marking that represented the Eye of Horus outlined under her right eyelid as she wore an ankh-designed necklace.

"It's always a delight to see people excitedly buzzing about after a wake-up call." the woman leaned forward as she snapped her fingers, the walls around them popping into stars. "Now then… Let's have a little chat before I send you off."

------------------

Date: August 16, 2008

Location: Downtown Gotham City, New Jersey, Grant Park

Time: 4:47 P.M.

Waking up with a deep gasp, Bruce immediately began coughing as something dry entered his throat, his eyes stinging when he tried opening them. Ears ringing and head pounding, the familiar aching he had become used to over the years began warming up his stiff body, rousing the still sleeping parts of his mind. 

Feeling the earth beneath him and the burn still preventing his sight, he tried tugging at his arms to pick himself up and use his hand to wipe away the cause, failing as a rattling noise made itself known. Giving up after a few more fruitless attempts, he braced through the tingling as he forced his closed orbs open. 

Bruce's arms were wrapped around the trunk of a blanched tree, parts of his missing mask and cracked lenses leaving his airways open and unprotected from the black snow drifting in the icy wind. His suit was cracked and minced in various places, ash having piled upon him when he was out for who knows how long.

'No.' his memory was already waiting in place, re-sharpening his dulled mind and reminding him of earlier circumstances as he looked around. 'Don't tell me we failed...'

A dome encased the park's perimeter, an arch of black that rhythmically pulsed as the black gas loitering around the ceiling funneled into it. Although he still didn't understand the reasoning behind how it functioned, Bruce managed to catch glimpses of what lay beyond the darkened wall.

Eviscerated highways, crumbling buildings, pulverized car piles…the area was unrecognizable.

As his ears started clearing back up, the sound of screaming and pounding drew away Bruce's attention. Lowering his gaze to street level, he found Hawkman and Hawkwoman going to town on the dome with their maces, Red Tornado floating behind them as he gathered up the surrounding debris with his tornadoes and hurled them as well.

But that wasn't where the screaming was coming from…

"Come on Canary!" a voice shouted. "Open your eyes!"

'Arrow…' Bruce recognized the source.

"Guys." another voice called. "Batman's up." 

Bruce strained his head to peer over the thick trunk hugging his body to find Barry looking back at him in relief. The speedster was placed dead center in a line of trees made up of the remaining heroes going through similar circumstances as Bruce, limbs restricted by black chains of their own.

Strangely, nobody paid Barry's message any mind. Except for a few, everyone had their gazes looking to Bruce's right, all grimness and no play.

Wally, Zatanna, and Captain Marvel had their eyes shut tight. Will and Sindella panned their gazes to and from there every few seconds. A frantic Oliver was shouting at the transfixed Dinah who had a sealed black mask covering her nose and mouth. J'onn was still motionless like earlier, not even tied to a tree as he was left sprawled on the ground. Finally, Clark was unresponsive once more, the kryptonite ring lying in front of him.

Brutus' massive body was also left lying beside them, parts of his skin shriveled as black muzzles were put over his snout. Kenzo was banging on a giant cage, his mouth opening periodically to release silent roars that failed to escape the cell's confines.

Deciding to follow his comrade's leads to see what was so enrapturingly serious, Bruce's eyes widened.

"HAHAHA- ugh - oh boy!" a bunch of giggles echoed in between hacking coughs. "You're a real firecracker, you know that?"

Settled on the plain of soot with his arms and legs twisted at nauseating angles, appalling wounds were cut into every inch of Joker's body, his eyes jutting from their sockets as he laughed his head off.

*CRACK!*

A foot was brought down on the clown's warped limbs, resulting in a sickening crunch.

Looking at the person responsible, Bruce's eyes turned bloodshot as his jaw clenched. 

Ben looked down at Joker from above, dressed all in black as the Green Lantern's logo on his chest was replaced by an upside-down triangle with five lines extending up from the base. Gone was the calmness usually present inside his irises. Instead, it was replaced with a machine-like indifference.

"Puddin'!" a distressed voice screamed. Hanging off the Lasso of Truth beside the duo, Harley was given front-row seats to the treatment her lover was undergoing as she continuously shouted in anger. "When I get my hands on you-"

"It's alright Darling." Joker cut her off, chuckling as Ben started plucking out his fingernails. Every time the tender flesh underneath revealed itself, tiny nails manifested from the surrounding smoke and stabbed through his entire finger. 

"If it's pain you want from me, then you're 'poking' in all the wrong places." Joker explained with a laugh. "Pain is my boon companion. My stalwart friend!"

Completely unresponsive to the playful responses being thrown at him, Ben continued in his actions, Bruce and the rest watching on as he meticulously grafted all manners of torture onto the man.

-Glad you're awake, princess.- a sudden voice entered Bruce's mind. -As you can tell after watching this, Prince Charming was too busy running away with a wet pair of pants to wake you up with a kiss.-

Bruce couldn't care less for ESAMAL's terrible attempt at lowering the tension, unable to understand what was going on.

This entire time, the Justice League battled the "entity" to prevent a new soul from forming and killing Joker. So as Bruce quickly detailed and identified the mannerisms and actions of 'Ben' before him, he knew they failed.

That wasn't his son.

But that wasn't the worst of it…

"Why hasn't he killed him yet?" Bruce asked, his tone coming out quiet and weak as an ominous feeling filled him. 

That "thing" should be rushing to kill Joker and take over his son's body, so why was it taking its sweet time torturing him instead?

"Don't know." Oliver answered, rage crossing his features as he looked at Dinah. "I was the first to wake up, but Supes was the first to break himself free. Kid dropped him in seconds and tied him right back up after placing the kryptonite he retook from your belt in front of him."

"Black Canary…?" Bruce looked at the woman in question.

Oliver didn't answer him, Diana sighing on his behalf. "Since her mouth was free when she had awoken, she attacked the boy once she witnessed the atrocities he was committing…" she trailed off. 

Clearly, Dinah's interruptions weren't taken kindly. 

Bruce's mind started running full tilt, trying to come up with options to get them out of their predicament. "Flash, I need-

"No can do." Barry cut him off, ruefully shaking his head. "Already tried vibrating out of here. I think the chains keep reconfiguring to match my altered density."

Bruce didn't give up. "Giovanni, any spell-"

"Save your strength, my friend." Giovanni stopped him as well, looking at his haggard daughter and wife. "We've all tried doing whatever you're thinking before you woke up. The chains not only drained our magic, it's succeeded in absorbing the energy from everyone here."

Bruce finally realized how sapped everyone was looking. The usually steady Captain Atom looked like a deflated balloon, the unblemished Diana had heavy eyebags and wrinkles…

He quickly gave up on finding a way out through his comrades. "ESAMAL…"

-I'm sorry.- ESAMAL's apology already foretold the nature of his reply, his voice coming out faded. -I can't do anything. I'm way over my limit to maintaining the connection.-

"...So we can do nothing but watch?" Bruce asked.

"Seems like it…" Captain Atom responded. Although he was worn out, he didn't seem even remotely bothered by the situation.

"Shut your mouth!" Oliver shouted at him. "Unless you've got something productive to add, start using your brain to save Canary's. She's gone without oxygen for a minute now!"

That kicked things into overdrive. Once the timer hit two minutes, Dinah would start losing brain cells. Once it hit three minutes, it was mostly assured that she'd suffer severe or permanent damage.

Unable to come to terms with things, Bruce watched as Ben continued beating down on the laughing clown, tool after tool manifesting in his hand from the surrounding gas as he performed every cutthroat experiment in the book.

Bruce was a firm believer in keeping one's mind and judgment unclouded, to prevent oneself from getting too attached to a situation for the sake of performing any action through a purely objective point of view. He even taught Ben and Dick to do the same thing.

But although it seems like he always acts calm and collected, he breaks that belief every time he goes out to Gotham wearing his suit. The city carried what remained of him, so things were always personal when he was out on patrol or fighting against his many villains.

Yet, having never been worn down by all the monstrous sights he's gone up against before, Bruce's heart of stone finally had a crack running through it. Ben's listless expression, being out of place with the bloodthirstiness packed in every slash, proved the final straw for him.

It was sardonic. This was the one time he tried sticking to his belief, and it backfired on him.

Saying sorry was a tall task for Bruce. Happiness was a gift he could never make room for inside him. The well inside him would always be filled to the brim with guilt, overflowing from out of him with every day that he lived.

But now he realized his mistake. He realized the faith his family held in him. He wanted to make things right. He wanted to go back to the manor and see Alfred and Dick healthy again, and he wanted Ben to be there too so he could apologize.

Once again ready to use up his brain power, a whisper entered into Bruce's ears, his head turning to face Captain Marvel. Although the man's eyes were still closed, his mouth was quietly moving, mumbles that could barely be made out escaping him.

"Not this one… not this one either… definitely not this one."

"Care to share what you're doing?" Bruce called the man.

Opening his eyes in confusion, Captain Marvel gave a sheepish smile when he saw Bruce's intense gaze. "I was going through any plans and cases I dealt with similar to this one. I might have a way to incapacitate Wildcard and free us, but you guys are going to need to shoot into action within moments."

"Whatever you want!" Oliver quickly agreed. 

"At least allow him to tell us the plan first…" Aquaman's exasperation was plain as day. 

"Oh, I was just going to redirect my magic lightning back at him, but I don't know how much control I have over it." Captain Marvel explained without much detail.

Hearing him, Will, Kaldur, and Zatanna unconsciously turned their heads to Wally, the young speedster looking at them in disbelief.

"Hey! I didn't even say anything. Plus, I'm a skeptic, not a total hater." 

"How do you still have energy left to do that?" Barry asked in surprise.

"My magic lightning is more external than internal. My reserves are used for other things, like being a guide. But since I'm all out, it'll be more challenging for me to redirect the lightning." Captain Marvel explained, his voice nervous. "Now, I just wanted to say that if you guys see anything… weird… hold your questions till the end."

Taking a preparatory breath before anyone could wonder what he meant, he tucked in his chest and cleared his throat.

"SHAZA-"

A sudden yell cut him off. 

Hovering over Joker as he faced the sky, Ben's black armor faded as gas poured out of his eyes, nose, and mouth. The dome surrounding the park crumbled into gas as well, joining the rest as they jumped together into one massive fog that remained right over his head, stalking him.

As their chains also dissipated and a clear view of the city returned once more, the heroes and millions of citizens spectating far away witnessed a fantastical sight that would never be forgotten.

Pink, brown, green, blue, more black…

All sorts of hues started pouring out of Gotham's structures and people, streaking towards the park as the black clouds that had yet to disperse painted a night filled with multicolored flying stars. 

Gathering into a vortex right next to the black hovering over Ben's head, the different chromas faced their fellow maelstrom. The two gyres pranced like armies ready for war, testing the opposition as they nipped at each other.

But their tune changed the moment they collided. Like meeting a long-lost friend, they shared a hug before pouncing back into Ben.

"What… in… Poseidon's name…" Aquaman's grievances came out unsteady. He and every other hero were busy dealing with the invisible weights placed upon them.

"Someone… cover… the lanterns…" Bruce managed to utter his command. Hal and John were completely unprotected in the face of the unexplainable pressure, so Captain Marvel crawled to them, shoving them under his frame in hopes of providing some cover as Ben's cries kept increasing in volume. 

Flashes of different colored phantoms sprung in the heroes' visions, appearing around Ben in strange stances. 

A yellow figure stooped down near his feet with arms crossed above his head as if opposing an unknown attacker, both pain and cruelty hidden in its eyes. A teal silhouette had their knees pulled into their chest, face hidden between the crevices of their thighs as their back leaned on Ben's. An orange apparition clawed at Ben's clenched palms, attempting to pry them open with a hysterical glee swirling in their pupils…

Yet, it was the red shade that drew the most attention. It hovered over Ben's head, roaring a declaration of challenge as it shot a beam of light through the sky that caused the earth beneath to tremble. 

After ages when the load on their shoulders started turning unbearable, the show faded away, the heroes slowly picking themselves back up to find Ben laid flat on his back, out cold.

Oliver ran towards Dinah, the Hawk couple and Red Tornado swooping in to provide assistance to the rest of the heroes. Bruce limped towards Clark as he re-deposited the kryptonite ring for what was hopefully the last time, turning back to his son.

Gently picking Ben up in his arms, he called out. "ESAMAL. Tell me his condition."

Waiting for a response, he became serious once more when nothing came.

"ESAMAL."

-WOOOOHOOOO! WE'RE BACK BABY!- came the excited cry. -Ah. I can just bask in this feeling for ages…-

Bruce sighed, partly solemn as he held Ben in his arms. Yet, a smile couldn't help but make its way onto his lips soon enough. Kenzo came up to the two, rubbing up against Bruce's leg as he licked at the cracked parts of Ben's mask.

"No, NO, NOO!" a sudden scream interrupted the scene as everyone turned to find Harley leaning next to a battered Joker facing Bruce with rage. "How can you smile at the worst part of the show?! How could nothing else tickle your funny bone?!"

He pointed his grotesque finger at Bruce. "Well, since you can't enjoy the hilarity of the situation, I'll just have to try again. Harley!"

With a whistle from her fingers, two hyenas jumped through the debris as they reached the duo, a mallet in the mouth of one as he placed it down at Harley's feet. Opening the face with *POW* inscribed on it like a lid, a bomb was revealed to be hidden inside with small, green vials strapped to its sides.

Vials of Joker Venom.

Bruce's heart iced over. The duo were about to get away again, and while today might be a fluke, he couldn't imagine what worse horrors they could accomplish given enough time.

But there was no time to react…

"See you again Batsy!" Joker grinned as Harley threw the device.

As Bruce helplessly watched, a twister appeared in the bomb's path, sucking it up and driving it high into the sky where it harmlessly detonated.

Freezing, the clowns turned to find a red android standing next to them, having silently inched towards them at some point.

"In situations judged pitiful, I'm compelled to suggest that you surrender yourselves."

"..."

As Bruce felt relieved that the duo's threat was dealt with, he turned his attention back to Ben and ESAMAL. "Tell me his condition and see if you can find how he broke free from the entity's grip on his own."

-I'm going to run diagnostics right now fo- no, never mind. You're gonna have to play the waiting game.-

Bruce tensed as ESAMAL's tone turned strange to him. "Explain now."

-I'm locked out of his mind. Even though our connection's back, right now I'm stuck in the hallway with a locked door in front of me. I think he needs to rest before it reopens. Forcefully barging in could have massive repercussions.-

"I understand." Bruce agreed. "But I need to know how long that 'rest' will take."

-Well, the thing is- crud!-

Bruce couldn't understand the reason behind ESAMAL's panic before Kenzo growled beside him. The inside of his mask flickered as a mess of words popped up, his HUD still functioning, albeit through the bits that remained of his lenses. Notifications popped up about multiple motion detectors in the manor going off…

…with one being tripped in the Batcave.

-My connection with Wyle was just blocked!- ESAMAL explained in a panic. -I can't get through to him.-

Bruce didn't spare another moment to put a hand to his communications. "Penny-Two."

"I'm afraid she can't come to the console right now." a familiar, raspy voice came over the line as Bruce's posture became rigid. "She's too busy watching as I plunder the secrets you've kept."

Thinking quickly, Bruce started rummaging through what remained of Ben's belt, urgently signaling Giovanni.

"I'm sure you're wondering if this is a hallucination…" the voice whispered. "I can only invite you to find out for yourself."

Giovanni finally reached Bruce as he pulled out a card from Ben's belt, the one holding the portal spell that his son had used earlier.

'Can you activate it?' he silently mouthed to Giovanni. Although not everyone was a lip reader like him, he couldn't risk allowing the man on the other side of the comms to know what he was up to. 

Unfortunately, while Giovanni understood him, he shook his head in denial and mouthed back. 'No magic left.'

Throwing the card away, Bruce scanned the tired and battered heroes before his gaze landed on Kenzo who perked up. 

"The silent treatment, ey?" Bruce mounted himself over Kenzo as the man on the other side continued. "That entire 'keep your friends in the dark' act? It's getting old fast.."

'Take care of Ben.' Bruce mouthed to Giovanni, Kenzo running once he received an acceptable answer.

"I'm sure we can come up with a more exhilarating act once we're together, Bruce."

------------------

Date: August 16th, 2008

Location: Upper Northeast Edge Outskirts of Gotham City, New Jersey, Wayne Manor, Batcave

Time: 4:48 P.M.

Removing his finger from the Batcomputer's button, a man in a long coat turned away from the console. Walking up a few stairs, he passed a giant penny and an animatronic dinosaur before he came upon the med-bay. 

An unmasked Dick was lying asleep on a bed, two women and a young, unknown girl bound in bolas on chairs beside him. Trapped in a scarlet orb hovering above was a small rabbit, the critter repeatedly banging on it in a crazed manner.

Selina's thoughts scrambled as her skin tingled when looking at the man. 'Is he a ghost?'

With a grin peeking through parts of the bandages draped over his body, Thomas Elliot stood over Dick in examination. His hand hovered over the gun hidden in his coat's waistband, finger twitching every once in a while. 

"Hmm… you're a pretty mediocre medic." he spoke to Julia out of the corner of his eyes. "I can tell you had to drain fluid from his lungs. Your entry point was really rough around the edges."

Julia spouted in disdain. "I'll show you rough around the edges once you untie my hands you bloody ba-"

Thomas smacked her across the face before she could finish as he shook his head in disappointment. "Propriety is wasted on some people. I pity the parents that raised you."

That seemed to strike a nerve as Julia started thrashing in her chair, Thomas' gaze sharpening as he casually picked up a small scalpel in scrutiny.

"I'm amazed you got in here." Selina's sudden praise cut through the tension. "Quite an accomplishment if you're willing to share…"

She wasn't asking just because her thief senses were aroused. She was also trying to buy time to figure out a way to get loose before Bruce arrived since Thomas' wild gaze was giving her the shivers.

She was still miffed about being ambushed. After she had arrived at the manor with the unknown girl, she had let her guard down thinking that everything was going to be okay. After all, nobody should be crazy enough to attack Bruce Wayne's manor twice in one day.

Fate loved to spit in people's faces. 

It was deja vu all over again. She woke up from a strike at the back of her head to find herself tied to a chair alongside both the unknown girl and Julia, empty of her whip and other little gadgets. She didn't even know how Wyle was trapped.

"To think that you were Gotham's famous 'cat' burglar all along, Miss Kyle." Thomas took in her costume. "I've heard a lot about you and your relationship with Brucey. I'm sure you know of his penchant for holding back on lethal force. His home's defenses seem to take after that." he minimally explained.

"But while I know you, I'm sure you don't know me." he changed the subject as he got uncomfortably close to her. "Friend is an interesting term, don't you think? A word meant to establish a relationship not bound by blood, one that could even transcend it." he philosophically droned off for a moment. "Bruce calls few his 'friends', and yet, he has an awful habit of ignoring them."

"Maybe he got jealous of me after all those years. I was always the smarter of us when we were younger. I bested him at every game in the book. I was his better in every way, the face hidden on the other side of the mirror."

"So how?!" he slammed his hands on the armchair, Selina not letting her startlement show. "How could he receive everything I ever wanted yet have the gall to weep?!" 

"Your parents died and you earned their inheritance?" he mockingly asked the wind. "Boo-hoo! You were given freedom and riches and the opportunity to be worth a damn to everyone! I was stuck with a raving mother who did her best to keep me bolted down, humiliated at every turn."

"If he doesn't want to appreciate all that he was given, that's fine." Thomas moved back up to Dick, Selina's heart churning as he put the scalpel on his neck, drawing blood. "I'll take all that he has for myself and decide what to keep and throw away."

Looking at the hatred in Thomas eyes, the growing jitteriness of his fingers, Selina resigned herself. 'Thanks for screwing us over Bruce.'

Thomas was definitely going to kill them. The common insane plot of revenge aside, he wanted to spite Bruce, and what better way to do it than by 'taking' his loved ones?

"Fool…" a new voice entered the room. "Who declared that you had the right to decide?"

A man dressed in white and sporting many scars on his face came out of the shadows, bits of blood leaking through a hole in the stomach area of his suit.

"Do you know what you've risked exposing by coming here? I'm sure the Master never permitted your presence." David asked.

As the unknown young girl froze when she laid eyes on David, Thomas gritted his teeth and turned to him as he got on one knee. "I was sent by one of the others." he vaguely gestured above his head at Wyle. "I only followed the orders I was given."

David glanced up at the scarlet orb, not saying anything more as he walked to a nearby terminal and plugged in a USB. "We'll discuss this later, preferably when the Bat isn't hot on our tail."

As files raced across the screen, David clicked a button that caused a hiss to sound from the nearby cryogenic chamber when a lid slid open. After the chilling mist cleared, rows of syringes and vials were exposed to everyone's sight. 

Zooming in on a small, high-tech cylinder canister, David gently picked it up as he eyed the pink fluid bubbling inside of it, sloshing it around before pocketing it.

"You know what that is?" Selina whispered to Julia.

"I'm new here." Julia harshly responded. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

David heard their chatter, but he ignored them as he walked up to the young girl. "I'm disappointed. Have you learned nothing after all these years? How could you allow yourself to be captured?"

"She's one of ours?" Thomas' tone showed his genuine surprise, Selina paying rapt attention to his question and reaction. 

Based on Bruce's hypothesis, Thomas should already be in cahoots with Ra's and the rest. If so, how could he not know that the girl was his ally?

Brushing aside the man, David seemed used to the girl's silence as he untied her bonds. "The master would request further training once he hears of this, but I can persuade him if you show your worth."

"You couldn't stomach it before, but you'll have to now." David unsheathed his katana as he handed it to the girl. "Kill them."

Selina and Julia tensed as the girl took the sword from his hand. Lingering, she looked between the glinting blade and them.

Irate at her hesitance, Thomas turned his head to David. "What are you doing wasting your time training pawns like this?"

"I think you should hold your tongue before I cut it off. It won't be missed." David coldly warned.

'Ben, I swear I'll haunt you if she runs me through…' Selina bitterly thought, Ben's previous assurances of the girl's true allegiances at the forefront of her mind.

She had no reason to worry. 

The girl threw the sword down at David's feet, her back facing Selina and Julia as she faced the man down. The surprising part was when she took off her mask as well, cute little almond-shaped eyes seated above a button nose looking back in defiance as she stretched her arms out in a halting motion.

"S… stop" her voice came out broken at first before rapidly adjusting, ending on a powerful note.

Selina's eyes widened as she looked at the girl in shock. 'I thought she was mute.'

Ben had already told her that she couldn't speak. The whole time on the way to the manor, Selina had tried making small talk with the girl before giving up when she kept answering herself.

But now…

David froze, his mind catching up with his ears. "What did you… did you just…?"

Tears unwittingly leaked from the corner of his eyes as he looked at the girl in wonder. "You… can speak?"

The girl didn't say anything, not budging an inch in either her form or in the staring contest she dragged David into.

"What is this?!" Thomas blew a fuse. "What the hell are you crying for?!"

Seeing that David and the girl didn't respond, stuck in their little world, Thomas was finally fed up, drawing a gun from his chest as he aimed it at Dick's head. 

"Guess, I'll have to do it myself." he spoke, the girl's gaze widening at the fatality of her distraction as she became ready to charge the man. Julia also reacted, anxiously trying to rock her chair into the barrel's path.

*BANG!*

Thomas's finger remained stuck in place over the trigger before his hand flopped down to his side uselessly, the man glancing at his shoulder in disbelief as he looked behind him. Julia and Selina followed his line of sight, the former's eyes widening.

Rifle weakly tipped downward, Alfred leaned on a display case as his breaths came out laborious. "That's… quite enough out of you."

Snapping out of his trance, David quickly glanced between Alfred, the injured Thomas, and the watch on his wrist. Thomas was already snarling as he used his free hand to unholster a second gun. "Alfred! I'm going to enj-"

"Ahlam saeidatun, alsamt." (Sweet dreams, Hush.)

An earlier scene repeated itself. Thomas fell face forward as he frothed at the mouth, his eyes rolling back into their sockets as he slowly died. David drew a gun from a holster under his armpit, aiming at Alfred without hesitation.

*BANG!*

Although the girl acted faster than earlier, she only managed to angle the gun out of the way a little too late.

"NO!" Julia shouted in fear. 

Alfred was down on the ground, hands gripping the hole in his thigh as he tried to stimmy the blood.

After sharing a few exchanges, David knocked the unknown girl away, quickly sprinting to pocket the USB he left inside the computer earlier. Putting on a rebreather, he jumped down to the cave's lower levels, disappearing into the water right before a white blur entered the room.

As Bruce dismounted Kenzo, the familiar tried to follow the man into the water before a massive explosion went off. A huge geyser erupted, both stalling the liger and closing off the entrance.

Waiting till the rain of water and slight tremors stopped, Bruce took a moment to take in the scene before he ran to help Alfred, the liger going to free the rest. Grabbing a spray bottle from his belt, he spritzed a few shots onto the butler's leg as the blood slowly started to harden.

"Master Bruce…" Alfred greeted with a weak smile. 

"Rest Alfred. Save your words for later"

"Very well. But first… I must beseech that we refrain from celebrating my birthday in the future. I'm afraid my heart isn't what it used to be."

"..."

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Yeesh. They say you can only post a chapter under 20k+ words but don't accept 15k+. I had to seperate them into two.

But anways...

END OF THE FIRST STORY ARC!!!!! AUTHORS NOTE INCOMING!

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