The inner thoughts of the Batman as he looks on the metas. His challenge to the gods.

Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own.

Lights in Darkness

Take a walk with me where darkness dwells. Step into my world of hate and lies and endless battle. Walk among my people as they lie dying, as they sit crying, as they stand hard-eyed and ever-fighting. Look into the eyes of my children, my comrades in this war of ours, my hearts of light in the darkness. Stand with my friend as he strives ever to keep the touch of shadows from the structures of order in this hopeless world. Spread your mind out with my oracle into the realms of information, see as she sees when the vices of the world are laid bare in uncomprimising black-and-white. Fly with my squire to his own city, his own surburb of hell, to fight his own demons. Soar with my little bird as he takes on the wolves and hawks that would destroy this insolent little challenger to their dark dominion. Shadow my once-assassin as she fights the world that would have claimed her as its own, that bred her and trained her and threw her away. Wait with my oldest friend for us to return, wounded warriors from battle, for him to fix us up as best he can before he watches us walk out again, beaten but never broken, to fight again. Walk among us and know the truth.

Dare you? You beings of light, do you dare walk in the shadows? Will you stand to see the evidence of your constant failure to lift the shadows of this world? Will you bear to lay your strength beside ours and find it less? Can you stand to see the courage of these tiny lights that fight the darkness from within, and know that they do more than you suns ever could? For they do. A candle flame in darkness shines brighter for those who look on it than any sun. For all those starved of hope, these meagre efforts of fellow mortals mean more than all the grand gestures of you gods. You are a distant thing for them, an unreal light, for they know that this world is forged in darkness and pain. We are real, a legend of the night, a darkness to match their own, but fight it. We are the things that Fear fears. We are the shadows that make light and dark tremble. We are the silent voices of the forgotten, speaking to a world that no longer wants to hear, but must listen. We are greater than you.

We fight with you, but on a different level. We are your shadows, the ones who make you watch yourselves because you know we are watching too. We are the conscience that tempers your power, the eyes in the darkness that see all you do. You know this. You fear us, you despise us, you respect us. You trust us, because you must. Because if we are false, then all the world which we so faithfully reflect must also be false. We are the uncompromising truth in a world of lies. We are your only chance. We see the darkness for what it is, where you would be blind. We are your eyes in the dark places, your ears in the silence, your truth amidst the lies.

Dare you be as we are? Dare you walk our paths? But you'll never have to, will you? As long as we guard from the shadows, shining our tiny lanterns in the depths of the night, you can be the great suns, the heros of light. We are your shadows. We are the watchers. We are the lights that live in darkness. We are what you cannot be. Do you stand with us? Do you dare?

Well? R&R?