LuthorCorp HQ, Metropolis

October 15th, 08:00 AM

Lex Luthor gazed out at Metropolis, a simmering fury building within him. Bad enough that his experiment had failed so fantastically, but to have lived in fear of the beast who attacked him, only to discover that Robin and Nightwing were even now operating in Gotham was far worse.

The beast was Nightwing. It had to be. And yet, and yet, there had been two spotted in Gotham. The destruction brought about by them and the horrific footage which was played over and over on the news was proof enough of their existence. Could it be that the other was Tim Dragon?. That Tim Dragon was also Robin?. That Luthor had once been in possession of a hero and not even been aware of it?. Could it be possible?. If that were the case, then the second creature had never even showed up where it was supposed to. Somehow it had resisted the programming put in place, had become something other than what Luthor had intended it to be.

Tim Dragon, whoever he might be, was undoubtedly back to normal, living his pathetic existence as if the whole thing had never even happened, forgetting the event almost at once. As if it had never happened. In spite of the amazing nature of the photographed creatures, the news was playing less and less of their epic struggle to destroy one another.

Which was another mystery. Why they had come to blows. Was it because, like the ones before them, that they were utterly mindless and complete savages?. If so, then Luthor's plans for the future could be put on hold indefinitely.

He hated that. Oh how he hated it!.

Those dragons had made a fool of him. He felt like their fight in Gotham had been staged especially for him, so he could see firsthand how miserably he had failed.

And now his other monsters were being returned to normal. There would be no army now, how could there be?. And yet, he knew that he would not give up on his project so easily. No. There had to be a way to salvage it. Somehow, he would find a way to get exactly what he wanted. Even if it took him the rest of his life, he would prove that he was no fool.

October 16th, 09:12 PM

Batcave

Batman pulled on his mask and gloves, then looked up to see Tim and Dick descending the stairs to join him. They weren't in costume yet, but it wouldn't take long. For a moment though, he didn't quite recognize them. In the shadows of the staircase, their eyes seemed to glow, shimmering almost unnaturally in the dark.

It was the only reminder of what they had once been, and never would be again.

Robin seemed to recall very little of his time as a creature, and it was generally agreed that this was for the best. Nightwing remembered more, but even his memory was somewhat fuzzy. They would never forget, not entirely. And, now and then, memories would surface in the form of nightmares, reminding them of what they had done, what they had become, what they had been willing even wanting to do. And too, they would beckon, reminding Robin and Nightwing of the utter freedom of being what they had once been. Though they had been purged of their monster forms and natures, they would never truly be free, the darkness which had been unleashed would live forever in some dark corner of their minds.

But that was okay, because it was a part of their past, part of who they were. They could live with those demons in the night.

"Ready?," Batman asked.

"Always," Robin replied, pulling his mask over his face.

Nightwing didn't answer, but nodded affirmative. It had been a long time since the three of them had gone out as a team. Too long, Batman thought. Some days it seemed like these boys were strangers to him. Proud as he was of all they had accomplished, he missed when they were his sidekicks. He missed the closeness he felt to them then, when they had needed him.

But he knew it was as it must be. For one day he would be gone, and Gotham would still need a hero. One who could stand against all things, who could take on any foe. Who would plunge fearlessly into battle, but only when the time was right. Who used his head to survive, and ensure the safety of others. One day there would no longer be Batman.

But when that day came, his children would be there, watching, waiting. Ready to answer the call. The call to darkness.

A/N: The author thanks you for reading, hopes you enjoyed it and is excited to be posting the prologue of part 4 today. The author hopes you will enjoy reading part 4 at least as much as the author enjoyed writing it. Thank you kindly and have a wonderful day.