Young Amazons

by Wanderer D

Chapter 37: D.A.V.E.

 
Thunder crashed outside the walls of Arkham Asylum as the storm continued to grow in feroisity. The bad weather had to be disconcerting for several of the people who were at Arkham Asylum to witness what Professor Hugo Strange had promised as the latest breakthrough in crime fighting and psychoanalysis.
 
The three main people in attendance of the demonstration were Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne, and Mayor Grange. Bruce was keeping his eyes peeled. If any of the inmates knew the three of them were there right now, many would jump at the chance to make a move.
 
“Imagine,” Strange began, “peering into the depths of the criminal mind, unlocking its terrible secrets. I, Professor Hugo Strange, bring you the next generation in crime-fighting technology.” He pulled the tarp that was covering the object next to him to reveal a large box shaped object the size of a man built with shiny metal. On the top was a glass box and inside looked to be a head that looked similar to that of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey with three red bulbs placed in a triangular shape.  
 
“This, my friends, is the Digitally Advanced Villain Emulator, or D.A.V.E. for short. D.A.V.E. here is made up of the combined psychological profiles of the most diabolical criminals committed to Arkham, as well as a few of the eccentric personalities incarcerated at Blackgate.” 

The screen below D.A.V.E. turned on to show pictures of personalities it had stored, all of whom were some of the most dangerous to the city of Gotham.
 
“He is designed to mimic their very thought patterns, which means D.A.V.E. can be relied upon to better catch these criminals, even anticipate their crimes before they’re committed.”
 
Bruce almost rolled his eyes upon hearing that, it sounded much like a film he saw on a date he had a few years back. He didn’t remember too much of the movie nor his date. It was his first year as the Batman and he left early to stop a robbery that ended with him getting grazed in the shoulder by a bullet.
 
“D.A.V.E.’s artificial intelligence is so advanced that he doesn’t even realize he’s a computer program,” Strange concluded.
 
“Professor, can we trust A.I. technology that thinks it’s a criminal?” Gordon asked, saying the question that Bruce was sure was on everyone’s mind.
 
Strange smiled. “I assure you, despite what you’ve seen in science fiction, your worries are unfounded. Perhaps a demonstration will allay your concerns, Commissioner,” he said. The scientist turned to D.A.V.E. and then flicked a switch. D.A.V.E. then spoke to the three authority figures in the room.
 
“Good evening, Gotham P.D. How might I assist you?” 
 
“D.A.V.E., what would you make of the theft of twenty tons of ostrich feathers and a break-in at Noigob Chemical Works, both occurring on the same night?” Strange asked. 
 
“Simple. It’s a theft perpetrated by the Joker,” D.A.VE. said. “The clown will threaten to have the city tickled to death by feathers treated with a strain of his toxin, unless his ransom demands are met. That is, of course, if he wants a ransom. There’s easily a chance he just wants mass graves instead.”
 
“Thank you, D.A.V.E.,” Strange said with great pride, along with the surprise of all in attendance. “As you can see, everyone, D.A.V.E. is indeed a revolutionary breakthrough in multiple fields.”
 
“Of course, while a respectable crime, Joker’s is much too easy to solve and stop,” D.A.V.E. interrupted. “I, personally, would commit something that would be much more elaborate.” 
 
Strange chuckled nervously. “Uh, yes, thank you D.A.V.E.” He then cleared his throat. “Anyways, there’s no need to worry. As long as D.A.V.E.’s mind is imprisoned, he will only be able to predict the crimes.”
 
“On the contrary, Professor, as long as I have my mind, Gotham City shall never be safe,” D.A.V.E. said. 

Electricity crackled from the machine and a wave of sparks flowed through the powerline. The lights in the room went out for a moment before coming back on again. A look of worry crossed everyone’s face, more so on Strange’s.
 
“Uh, D.A.V.E.?” the scientist said worriedly. He frantically typed at the computer keyboard attached to the machine, but nothing seemed to be happening.
 
“Professor Strange, what just happened?” Mayor Granger asked.
 
“I’m afraid we have a problem,” Strange admitted fearfully. “D.A.V.E. has uploaded himself off of the server. Gotham’s ultimate criminal mastermind has escaped.” 

A large roar of thunder filled the air.
 
“Curse it all!” Strange huffed as he smacked his hand against the keyboard a few minutes later. “I have no idea what could have caused this glitch.”
 
“Get someone who is an expert with computers down here,” Gordon ordered one of the orderlies that was standing with them. The man ran off without a moment to waste. 

A shiver went down Bruce’s spine as he saw the look on Strange’s face. 
 
“It won’t make a difference, Commissioner,” the man said. “D.A.V.E. has escaped and now could be anywhere by now. A simple tech would be worthless. Perhaps it would be better to signal the Batman?”
 
“The Dark Knight fights real criminals, Doctor, not floppy disks. The same can go for Alicorn and her companions,” Gordon explained.
 
“A real criminal is exactly what D.A.V.E. thinks he is. That’s the problem.”
 
“How can D.A.V.E. not realize it’s a computer if it just uploaded itself?” Bruce asked.
 
“The criminally insane will create their own reality, Mr. Wayne. And now I fear D.A.V.E. will attempt to carry out his preprogrammed super villain impulses.”

Bruce gave him a stern look. “And how exactly is it supposed to do that without a body?”
 

 
“Hold on, the circuit breakers probably just got fried there.” Sunset assured the girls as she stood up. The three of them were doing homework at Sunset’s apartment when the power went down in the building. She was quick to fix that when casting a lighting spell that had a ball of light hover above them.
 
“Like having a sun in your pocket there,” Pamela chuckled as she went back to work on the problem she was on.
 
“Which sounds familiar, since your Cutie Mark was a sun, right?” Barbara asked. She still looked a bit rough from the effects of Joker’s gas, but she had told them several times she was feeling much better.
 
“If ponies wore pants, or had pockets, they would probably be around that area,” Sunset said, sitting back down.
 
“Is this storm going to end soon?” Pamela sighed as she leaned back. “Mom texted me to come home as soon as the storm cleared up and I’m worried I might not be able to tonight.”
 
“At least she knows you’re here, Pam,” Barbara said. Pamela still looked slightly nervous even as she said that. “You’re still not worried about what Gaia told you, are you?”
 
“A little bit,” the red-head replied. “I mean, I know she said my mother would be proud of me, but I’m worried her first reaction will be grounding me for the rest of my life. You’ve got it lucky, Sunny. Your guardian is fully onboard with your double life.”

Sunset rubbed the back of her neck as she sheepishly chuckled before the power switched on. She quickly retracted her spell before she turned on the TV.
 
“Come on, let’s see if that storm is going to be over soon,” she said as she flipped over to the news station.
 
“-pfully Johnny can tell us if this storm will final-“ The anchorman was cut off as the screen switched from the normal news station to a figure cloaked in the darkness with only the lightning revealing how it was.
 
A man-sized robot now stood in front of the camera. 
 
“Hello, Gotham. I am D.A.V.E.,” the robot said. “For years, you have listened to the idle threats of criminals who have vowed and failed to bring the city to its knees. Well, I am no ordinary criminal. I am Gotham’s ultimate criminal mastermind, and I’m about to prove that even the most heavily secured institutions can’t prevent me from committing the ultimate crime, a crime of such scope and genius that soon all of Gotham will be mine.”

The message abruptly ended. 
 
The girls all looked at each other.
 
“So, uh, we’re fighting robots now?” Barbara asked.
 
“What was that all about?” Pamela also asked, though the question was more of a statement since she knew the other two wouldn’t have any answers.
 
“I don’t know, but I’ve got a bad feeling that we’re going to find out soon.” Sunset half expected the Batwave to go off, but instead it was the sound of Barbara’s phone ringing.
 
“Hello? Yes, Dad, we just saw and I- what? Yes. Yes. Okay, I’ll be over there now.” Barbara hung up before walking towards the door. “Sorry. Apparently, D.A.V.E. has caused my dad to set a curfew for me so I need to go home now. Can I borrow your raincoat?” 

Sunset nodded before Barbara ran back to get her books and backpack and headed out the door.
 
“At least it looks like the storm is easing up. I’d rather prefer to walk out there right now, get some water and all, but I’d rather not have to give the explanation of why I’m soaked to the bone is because I’m part plant,” Pamela said before her phone rang with a text. “And now Mom wants me home too.”
 
“So it’s up to me and Batman to deal with D.A.V.E. then?” Sunset sighed.
 
“Looks like it for now.” Pamela walked over before grabbing Sunset’s umbrella. “I’ll give this back next time we see each other at school, alright.”
 
“Keep it as long as you need, Pam.”
 
“Okay. Later, Sunny.” Pamela waved as she finished getting her things and leaving. 

And as if on cue, Sunset’s Batwave went off.
 
“Hey there,” she said. “Pam and Barb are wanted by their parents, so it’s just me for now.”
 
“Understood,” Bruce’s voice crackled over the Batwave as he spoke. “Then I assume that you saw D.A.V.E.’s message?” 
 
“Yeah, what’s the deal with him anyways? And do you have any idea how he plans to break Gotham?” Sunset asked as she walked to her room and got her Alicorn costume ready.
 
“I’ll explain to you in a bit, but right now, D.A.V.E. more than likely will be hitting Gotham’s supercomputer, which holds all the city’s most important data.”
 
“Data he can use to bring Gotham to its knees. Sounds a bit like a broken record.”
 
“D.A.V.E.’s emulating all of Gotham’s worst villains. It’s not surprising it will sound like them.”
 
It didn’t take long before Alicorn met up with Batman near the building that housed the supercomputer. Alicorn was surprised by the sheer size of the building and was curious to know why none of Gotham’s other rouges had ever thought to hit it. As Batman told her, the security teams were trained to kill there and few would make it all the way to the central data server.
 
D.A.V.E., being mechanical, would be fairly impervious to any attacks, especially if his body frame was bullet proof. From the security footage that Batman had tapped into, he clearly was proving his invulnerability in spades as he tore through the security teams like they were not even there.
 
“At least it’ll make our way in easy then,” Alicorn admitted. “The whole area will be focused on him.” 
 
“Agreed. We can stop him in the main data room. Here,” he handed her a climbing rope. “We’ll scale down from the upper level.”
 
Alicorn nodded and took the rope before the two moved in and snuck their way inside. Soon the two were high above the chamber. She took a deep breath as she turned her eyes away from the electrified floor. One slip and she would be burnt to a crisp. Alicorn hooked the harness before the sounds of a door opening and metallic footsteps echoed on the walking platform below.
 
Her eyes widened as D.A.V.E. took a harness himself and leapt off the platform before stopping just above the small pit. The floor at the bottom was electrified, which would surely fry the mechanical being if he fell down there, but it didn’t seem to bother the robot.
 
Gotham’s infamous data server was smaller than she thought. How so much information could be held on something so tiny was truly amazing. Of course, part of her was probably thinking about how different it was compared to Equestria, where Canterlot’s vast library would probably equal that.
 
“Ahh, the central data server. Gotham City in the palm of my hand,” D.A.V.E. said as he removed the server. Batman gave Alicorn the nod and jumped down, tossing a Batarang at the back of the mechanized villain… only for him to turn around and catch it in his hand. Batman landed on the core while D.A.V.E. jumped back and landed on a small outing along the wall.
 
“The Batman,” D.A.V.E. sneered, putting the server into his coat. “You’re late.”
 
“Didn’t know I was expected,” the Dark Knight returned with a smirk. 
 
“My superior intellect considers all possible actions,” D.A.V.E. held up the Batarang and crushed it in his metal palm. “including the most predictable ones.” 

Alicorn saw this as a perfect chance and jumped down herself before tossing several energy spheres his way. However, much to her surprise, D.A.V.E. avoided them as well.
 
“And Gotham’s Guardian Angel finally joins us. I was almost wondering if you weren’t going to show up tonight. After all, you’re not always at the Batman’s side when he tries to save Gotham.” 

Alicorn landed on the outing right near him.
 
“Tonight’s a bad day for you since I’m here now,” she shot back. “And let’s see you try and avoid this.” 

She held her hand out and several metal plates on the wall violently tore off and tried to knock D.A.V.E. off. The robot just dodged each exposed plate with speed and precision, perfectly calculated like the machine he was. Batman jumped forward and tried to tackle D.A.V.E., but he moved aside at just the last moment and grabbed Batman before slamming him against the wall. Batman pushed back off it and swung away while D.A.V.E. chased, dodging the fireballs that Sunset was throwing perfectly.
 
Batman bounced off the wall and went straight back towards D.A.V.E.. They threw a few punches before the robot threw a hard punch against Batman and sent him down towards a lower level. Alicorn tried a few more spells but like before, he dodged them with perfect precision.
 
“Makes sense. He is a machine,” Alicorn cursed to herself.
 
“Don’t let my appearance fool you, Batman,” D.A.V.E. jumped down and tried to crush Batman underneath his feet though the Dark Knight rolled out of the way. “My mind is mostly human, or should I say, superhuman.” The two clashed once more but Alicorn could easily see that the machine had the advantage.
 
“D.A.V.E., what are you doing this?” Batman grunted as he hit the wall hard after being thrown against it. 

Alicorn jumped down and pulled out her rapier. She channeled heat through the blade, making it glow a bright hot white, so she could cut right through D.A.V.E.’s parts like butter. Her plan went awry immediately as the moment she landed, D.A.V.E. kicked her right in the face before grabbing her hand and slamming it hard against the metal outing. The rapier plunged right into the metal wall and burned into it before she lost her grip and rolled back to avoid the next salvo of attacks.
 
“Why? What a simple and predictable question. Why? Why do you dress like a bat? Why do you two fight crime? Why do we do anything, Batman? I do what I do because I have made it my purpose, such as how the two of you have made it yours to stop me, but will fail trying.”
 
Batman tossed another Batarang as Alicorn threw her hand against the outing and buckled the metal underneath. The loud twisting metal echoed in the chamber before it collapsed underneath D.A.V.E. Due to their almost perfect teamwork, the Batarang cut the wire that harnessed the metal being just as he began to fall down, sending him to an electrified grave below.
 
Or at least that what should have happened, but D.A.V.E. grabbed the edge of the central processor and climbed back up. Batman swung down and prepared to kick D.A.V.E. right off into the electricity, but he jumped up, braced against the wall, and leapt off. With a metal claw, it cut right through Batman’s wire and sent him falling to his doom.
 
“What are you waiting for, Alicorn? Are you not going to save him?” D.A.V.E. taunted before he started to walk straight up the wall, his metallic feet tearing into the metal as he climbed his way out.
 
Alicorn dived down fast and reached out to try and grab Batman before he hit the floor. The Dark Knight grabbed her hand and using the momentum of the fall, the two swung over to a wall. He then threw something out from his belt that caused the electricity on the floor to stop. The two of them then lowered themselves down as D.A.V.E. escaped.
 
“Well, that was embarrassing,” Alicorn sighed as she rubbed her sore hand. “So, does he still not realize he’s a machine when he literally just walked on the wall there?”
 
“In its mind, D.A.V.E. probably thought of a rational explanation,” Batman said. “D.A.V.E. has proven to be even more dangerous than I thought.”
 
Alicorn cocked an eyebrow and gave him an unamused glare. “Considering the fact that we’re basically fighting every bad guy in Gotham all rolled into one there, I think we might be in trouble this time,” she said. “So, you think four-on-one will work better next time?”
 
Batman nodded. “It might be our only way to stop it,” he said. “Call the others and tell them to meet up with us wherever D.A.V.E. turns up. It won’t be long.” He pulled out a tracking beacon which then beeped, signifying that it was tracking something.
 
Alicorn chuckled. “One of these days, you’re gonna have to teach me how you manage to slip those tracking devices on villains.” 
 

 
For quite a number of people in Gotham, D.A.V.E.’s earlier threats were mostly dismissed by the general public. After all, they had heard this all before with the other supervillains that threatened to destroy Gotham. For them, they would just keep their eyes peeled and proceed with caution just in case.
 
Of course, D.A.V.E. was no normal threat that the city had seen before as he made it very clear the moment his face was broadcasted in downtown’s large video monitor. D.A.V.E. was on a nearby building close to downtown where the large screen was held. He couldn’t have timed it better as the storm once more picked up and lightning clashed in the sky before he spoke.
 
“Hello again, Gotham. Now that preparations are complete, it is time to commence with the crime itself. This will involve all of Gotham’s major banks.” 

He plugged in the data server into a laptop he had and quickly gained access to all the banks and their vast data files.
 
“Now, most great crimes are built on the foundation of monetary gain. Diamonds, gold, art, et cetera, but pilfering mere money is so passe these days. That is, of course, one who steals everyone’s money.” 

On cue, he easily drained the accounts of everyone who had accounts with the major banks he just robbed.
 
“Voila! I’m richer now,” he said. His tone gave a hint of just how uninterested he was with even pulling off the crime, like it was too easy for him. “However, simply taking money isn’t enough for the ultimate crime. No, that would need mass hysteria as well. After all, fear is the felon’s friend.”
 
He now typed onto his laptop and shut down the city’s power grid like a flip of a light switch. Almost every light in the city turned off, leaving one of America’s largest cities as pitch black as the Texas countryside during a specially cold winter or hot summer. The accidents and chaos D.A.V.E. caused played exactly how he predicted.
 
“Oh, and what crime is complete without the personal touch?” A few more keystrokes and lights in many of the buildings downtown turned on in specific patterns: all spelling the large letter of D.A.V.E. “My calling card. And there you have it, Gotham. The ultimate crime.”
 
“You would probably like your tracking device back?” D.A.V.E. said as he closed the laptop and turned to see Batman coming out of the shadows. Less than a moment later, Alicorn, Batgirl and Poison Ivy appeared as well, outflanking the mechanical criminal.
 
“Ah, the Batbrat and the florist. Gotham’s heroic quartet has come to face me.” D.A.V.E. taunted before he took the tracker from off the back of his trench coat and smashed it. “How utterly predictable.”
 
“Batbrat?” Alicorn heard Batgirl mutter under her breath.

“Yes. Childish insult, I know, but I can easily get underneath your skin if I wanted to. Like with you, Ivy, still feeling guilty about what you did with Chlorogene’s offices?” 

Alicorn could see the hard look of guilt that shot across Ivy’s face upon him saying that. The red head shuffled her feet and looked down at the ground. 
 
Batgirl had heard enough and launched the attack by tossing her own Batarang towards him. D.A.V.E. reached out and crushed it in his hand. 

The artificial intelligent lifeform took advantage of their shock and grabbed Ivy by her neck. With a jerk of his arm, he sent her flying into the roof’s edge a few feet away. Alicorn and Batgirl jumped in to occupy his attention, but D.A.V.E. anticipated that move as well. His arm slogged from the side to smack them both across the face. With a jump, one foot grabbed Batgirl around her midsection and tossed her into Ivy on the other side. 

Alicorn drew her rapier and muttered a spell she thought of. A green light gathered around the tip of her sword before shooting at the robot. The attack did not seem to work at all. D.A.V.E. turned to face her. 

“A young magician,” he said snidely. “How nice. Unfortunately, you’ll need more than that to stop me.” 

Before she could settle herself, D.A.V.E. was already upon her. Alicorn sliced left, right, and every direction she could think of but he kept on coming, with no sign of a scratch on his shiny metal body. D.A.V.E. grabbed her by the throat and tossed her to the ground. His foot pressed down on her stomach to keep her from escaping. 

“Time to say ‘so long’,” the robot said before raising his arm, ready to club it down on the young heroine. 

“NO!” 

D.A.V.E. toppled over as a dark cape settled over him. Batman had stopped him from finishing Alicorn off. The two duked it out on the ground, with the Dark Knight seemingly having the advantage, but that quickly changed. 
 
Alicorn and the girls watched in absolute horror as D.A.V.E. grabbed Batman around the throat and easily lifted him into the air. The robot was slowly choking the life out of him while the three of them were still trying to recover from the devastating attacks they had been subjected to.
 
“No… no… no… too easy, this has all been too easy. With one snap I could do what no villain has done and easily end your life, Batman. But it’s no challenge.” He let go of him before slowly walking away towards the roof’s edge. “No, your defeat, Dark Knight, and that of your comrades must be complete and total. The ultimate defeat. So until we meet again,” D.A.V.E. then walked right off the roof back into the maze of Gotham’s blacked out streets below as the rain continued to come down.

“Is that what going ten rounds with a heavyweight feels like?” Batgirl groaned as she slowly got back up. “That was awful.” 
 
“Are you alright, Batman?” Ivy asked as she was the first to get over to him. 

Batman coughed a few times before he waved her away.
 
“I’ll be alright, but that was too close,” he said.
 
“Agreed.” Alicorn sighed. “We’re in serious trouble though, since he easily took the four of us on like we were nothing.”
 
“We need a new plan. And fast,” Batgirl said. “I’m sure D.A.V.E.’s got something really special in mind if he wants the ultimate defeat.”
 
“What could that be?” Ivy said worriedly. A sparkle flashed in her eyes. “Wait, I think I just figured it out, mad AI, you think hijacking nuclear missiles might be the idea?”
 
“No, I don’t think so. D.A.V.E. thinks like other criminals, so a nuclear armageddon is very unlikely,” Batman said. “No, it would be something more personal.” He looked out to the dark city for a moment before turning around. “Alicorn, come with me. You two,” he addressed Batgirl and Ivy. “find a place to rest for a bit. A rematch with D.A.V.E. in the near future is certain.”
 
Alicorn nodded towards the girls before she opened a portal for them back to her apartment. If Batman only wanted her, that meant they were heading back to the Batcave.
 

 
“Well, the good news is that emergency power is operational and hopefully the power grid can be taken back from D.A.V.E. soon,” Alfred said as he walked over with some tea for Bruce and Sunset in the Batcave. “The bad news: Your bank account is empty.” 
 
“Doubt it matters,” Sunset huffed as she rolled her shoulder. “After all, what does a robot need money for anyway?” 
 
“Right now, I’m more concerned with finding a way to defeat the sum total of my greatest enemies,” Bruce said.
 
“Combined with the perfect precision of a machine, your chances aren’t looking so good,” Alfred added.
 
“A machine that’s immune to fear, immune to pain, can’t be exhausted and succumb to fatigue. He’s even able to avoid almost all my magic.” Sunset shook her head. “Is there nothing that can be done?”
 
Bruce stood up after he finished typing at the main computer. “There is one thing we can do,” he said. “We can go right to the source.”
 
Less than thirty minutes later, Batman and Alicorn were sneaking through the hallowed halls of Arkham Asylum. The roar of thunder outside and flashes of lighting being the only light at times,  letting anyone else know the two of them were there.
 
They soon reached the main library, where they both could see Professor Strange typing away at a computer. The lighting cracked once more, revealing the two of them in the shadows and getting Strange’s attention.
 
“Ah, the Dark Knight returns, and Gotham’s Angel as well,” he said.
 
“D.A.V.E., Professor, you built him, you must know how to stop him,” Batman demanded.

Strange chuckled. “You think I have any chance of doing that? I’ve been spending all night trying to think of a way to bring him down, but I can’t. I was so proud of what I had created that I didn’t account for, well, this. Oh, hubris, thy name is Hugo Strange.”
 
“Seriously? You’re trying to tell us that you didn’t make any sort of fail safes or some sort of spoken code to shut him down?” Alicorn asked with concern.
 
“No. Such things would only be a detriment to the genius I was trying to achieve. He was to be the perfect criminal mind, so he needed to be as free as the criminal mind is.”
 
“That’s insane!” Alicorn shouted.
 
“The line between genius and insanity is often blurred, Alicorn,” Strange replied as he sat back down and covered his face with his hands in shame.
 
“But there’s got to be something here that you had to at least think of when making him.” 

Alicorn walked over to the desk and started grabbing papers and folders. Strange tried to stop her, but one folder hit the floor, revealing its contents. Alicorn leaned down and picked up a few photos of a familiar caped crusader. 

“Someone here is an admirer.”
 
“Didn’t know I had a fan club,” Batman said. He looked over at Strange, who regained his composure after being fearful of the discovery.
 
“You must understand, Batman. Your obsession with criminals fascinates me as much as the criminals themselves. After all, who wouldn’t want to know why you do the things you do? Why do you choose to fight crime? Why do you choose to wear that costume? The same can be said for you as well, Alicorn.”
 
She raised an eyebrow. “Huh, that sounds familiar. That’s almost exactly what D.A.V.E. said earlier.” 
 
“I’m not surprised. D.A.V.E. not only has the personality of all of Gotham’s super criminals, but mine as well. Which means he probably also has my fascination with you, Batman.”
 
As if on cue, both Alicorn and Batman knew exactly what D.A.V.E.’s idea was for the ultimate defeat. It wasn’t just to simply end Batman’s life, but to bring his entire world down at the same time. And what better way to do that than do what no villain had done before: Discover who truly was behind the mask.
 
“We need to go. Right now,” Batman said as he turned around, Alicorn followed right behind.
 
“Please, you two. I don’t know what you can do, but if you can stop him,” Strange sighed and looked down. “Destroy him. Leave nothing left. I now know how Frankenstein felt when he brought life to his creation. Destroy him before he destroys you.”
 
Batman and Alicorn hurriedly left the asylum before they stood next to the Batmobile where Batman had hidden it.
 
“You think it’s possible? For D.A.V.E. to find out who you are?” Alicorn asked as the rain drenched the two of them.
 
“With how fast he was able to break Gotham? I’m sure he’s probably already pieced it together,” Batman admitted.
 
“Then we better hurry and get the girls and return to the Batcave,” Alicorn said. “If he has figured it out, then he’s more than likely just waiting there for you.” 
 
“I know, I know,” he huffed as he slammed his hand against the Batmobile, knowing full well that if Alicorn was right, then that meant that Alfred was now in danger. She could tell that if Alfred ended up being truly harmed because of his actions, he would never forgive himself.
 
“So, what’s the call?” she asked.
 
“Open a portal to the girls and then we portal back to the Batcave,” he replied. “At least we’ll save some time and might get the drop of D.A.V.E. if it’s there.” 

Alicorn nodded at his orders before starting to open a portal.
 
“Are you sure about this?” she asked. “I mean, if we bring them along, they’ll more than likely find out who you are.”
 
“They were going to find out one of these days. It might as well be now.”
 
Alicorn nodded before the portal finally opened and she jumped through, ending up right back in her apartment’s living room. Pamela and Barbara were there standing in the middle of the room. 
 
“That was fast,” Barbara chuckled, still dressed in her Batgirl outfit though her cowl was down.
 
“Listen, we don’t have much time. D.A.V.E. probably already has his magnum opus ready,” Alicorn said.
 
“It does. I’m getting no response from the Batcave now. D.A.V.E. is there,” Batman explained as he walked through the portal behind Alicorn.
 
“He figured out where you live?” Ivy asked as she regrew her plant mask.
 
“Yes, and more than likely this will be the final confrontation. Either we destroy it or we’re all dead,” Batman sighed. “And since D.A.V.E. knows who I am, it’s better you two know who I am now rather than being surprised by it when we face it.”
 
Batman quickly removed his cowl, revealing the man behind the mask was Bruce Wayne to Batgirl and Ivy. Their jaws dropped. 
 
“Pam, you owe me twenty bucks,” Batgirl said, all the while still staring at Bruce and looking dumbstruck. Bruce quickly pulled the cowl over his head once more.
 
“I’m sure you girls have quite a few questions, but they’ll have to wait until this is all over,” he said. 
 
“He’s right. We have to stop D.A.V.E. immediately. There’s no time to lose,” Alicorn said, preparing another portal to take them all straight to the Batcave.
 
“But we couldn’t stop him earlier? What chance do we have this time? We’re going in just as blind and without a plan as before.” Ivy worried.
 
“We’ll think of something… if not, well, it’s been a pleasure knowing you girls.” Alicorn said.
 
“Don’t say that, we’ll send this robot to the scrapyard for sure this time.” Batgirl tried to improve everyone’s morale before the four jumped through the portal. Both Batgirl and Ivy took in the sight of the Batcave with sheer amazement as they all took a few steps away from the portal on the landing platform where the Batmobile would rest.
 
However, as was predicted, they were indeed walking right into D.A.V.E.’s hands as the mechanized criminal was waiting on a higher platform and looking down on them. He was standing atop a giant hourglass that had sand slowly starting to trickle down to the bottom of it.
 
“Welcome home,” D.A.V.E. announced. “Bruce.”
 
“You should have told me you were stopping by,” Batman replied sarcastically. “The place is a mess.” 
 
“Humor; often used as a coping mechanism in high stress situations,” D.A.V.E. said analytically. “And I almost forgot, I suppose I should also greet your charges. I must admit though, I didn’t truly expect you all to show up through a portal, but I guess I should have predicted that being a way the Young Amazons like to travel… or should I say, Barbara Gordon, Pamela Isley and Sunset Lucciola.”
 
The girls were all surprised to hear that. Not only did D.A.V.E. figure out Bruce’s dual identity, but all theirs as well. 
 
“But of course, we all know that I’m not here for small talk. I’m here to destroy you, Bruce. That raises the question though: How does one best destroy your alter-ego, the Batman? One allows him to destroy himself.”
 
D.A.V.E. pressed a button on a remote he had. A giant joker playing card lifted up to reveal Alfred tied to a chair in metal chains. He had a large bruise on his head. Alicorn could see the precarious situation he was in. A giant penny was on top of an oversized Jack-in-the-box and connected to a blue wire that went through a metal dummy head’s mouth, probably Scarface’s head, as she recalled from the story Bruce once told her involving him.
 
“Alfred,” Batman muttered under his breath.
 
“I present you with a game I call, ‘The No-Win Situation’.” D.A.V.E. pointed towards a small box that sat on a small table with two buttons on it, one red and one blue. The box was connected to two wires of the same colors, the red one went straight to the Batcave’s main computer while the blue one was the same one that was surrounding Alfred.
 
“The red button is wired to your Batwave, which I have set to transmit not only your secret identity, but the girls’ secret identities to all of Gotham City.” 

Alicorn saw the screen reading ‘Who is the Batman?’ before a picture of Bruce appeared. A few seconds later, the same happened for her, then Barbara, and then finally Pamela.
 
“The blue button is wired to a device that, if activated, will send your closest ally in the world to his doom. Press the blue button and you save Mr. Pennyworth, but reveal the secret identity of yourself and the girls. Press the red button, you protect your identity, but lose your dear friend.”
 
Alicorn gritted her teeth. From her point of view, D.A.V.E. wasn’t joking about it being a no-win scenario and right now, she couldn’t see any way to either decide or to outsmart D.A.V.E. and beat him at this game.
 
“So, choose your poison, Bruce,” D.A.V.E. taunted. “But choose it soon, because when this hourglass empties, you forfeit both.” 
 
“Gotham needs its guardians more than you need a butler, sir!” Alfred begged. “Save yourselves.” 

Alicorn turned to look at Ivy and Batgirl as the three were prepared to quickly huddle and discuss.
 
“I’ve made my choice,” Batman said, causing the girls to all turn back towards him. A smirk went up his face. “None of the above!” 

Batman launched his grappling hook right into the hourglass and shattered it, causing D.A.V.E. to fall from it. Of course, the machine went right into action. He leapt down onto the lower platform and punched Batman right in the chest before he could launch another grappling hook at him.
 
“How very predictable!” D.A.V.E. shouted as he grabbed Batman and tossed him away before turning his attention towards the girls. Once more, the three tried to attack all at once but D.A.V.E. was much too quick. He easily dodged any sort of spells that Alicorn sent his way while Batgirl tried to get physical attacks on him.
 
He responded by grabbing her in mid-air and tossing her right back into Ivy, causing the two of them to tumble towards the edge of the platform. They nearly fell right off, but Batgirl’s hand kept them from dropping onto the sharp stalagmites at the bottom of the cave.
 
Alicorn shouted in anger as she tried to stab her rapier into D.A.V.E.’s chest but he ducked down to avoid it, swept her off her feet with a kick, and then gave a backhanded slap hard to her face before she hit the floor. Alicorn was shocked that she still had her teeth with how hard the hit was, but she was in no position to fight him for the moment as the whole room was spinning in her eyes.
 
“I anticipated you would try to create a third, more favorable option,” D.A.V.E. said as he turned his attention back towards Batman. Alicorn watched as Batman was utterly wailed on with attack after attack before he was thrown up to the platform level where the buttons were.
 
The room suddenly stopped spinning for Alicorn. She rushed over to the girls and helped them up. Once the three of them regrouped, they turned their attention back towards the upper level and ran up some ethereal stairs that Alicorn conjured. The timer on the computer screen showed they only had three minutes left before their identities were revealed and Alfred would be crushed by the penny.
 
“I can see it all burning in your minds,” D.A.V.E. chuckled. “How was I able to uncover you all? It was simple. Really.
 
“First came the discovery of Pamela Isley. I simply looked at the police reports of when Poison Ivy first made her appearance with the Chlorogene attack and found a very thorough officer had made sure to write the report of the arrest of Temblor. In it, the officer documented that one girl was in critical condition after being coated in Chlorogene’s toxic fertilizing products. After that, the answer was obvious that Pamela and Ivy were one and the same.
 
“With that, Barbara and Sunset’s identities were even easier. Security footage and records from Gotham High showed that young Miss Isley would often be seen in the company of Barbara Gordon and Sunset Lucciola. Both of their gymnastic awards were enough to prove how little of a doubt there was, at least with Barbara.”
 
“Of course, there was Alicorn’s magical abilities that had to be taken into account, but that was quickly solved when one knows that she just happens to be the apprentice of world-renowned magician Zatanna. And a certain photo from Star City when Alicorn first appeared in the city sealed the deal. Someone forgot to dye their hair when she started crime fighting.” 

Alicorn cursed to herself as she remembered that mistake. She almost never thought that would come back to bite her like this.
 
“Finally, the question to end all questions: Who is the Batman? Using information readily available to anyone, I began narrowing down Gotham’s population of seven-hundred and fifty thousand, eight-hundred and thirty-two males. Those not falling inside the Batman’s probable age range of eighteen to thirty-six were eliminated. Medical records revealed body-type matches.
 
“Then came the tax records that indicated those who possessed the wealth and resources to create his technology. But the true key to the puzzle was deducing who of the remaining candidates had the motive to become the Batman. After all, every great hero must have an origin. And once Gotham’s ultimate criminal mastermind put it all together, the answer was obvious––Bruce Wayne, son of the late Thomas and Martha Wayne.”
 
D.A.V.E. pressed his attack on Batman while Batgirl and Alicorn joined back into the fight. However, Ivy decided to use her talents elsewhere. Fearful that her roots might destabilize the cave and cause a cave-in during the fight, she went to try and free Alfred.
 
The fight still remained fairly one-sided as D.A.V.E. threw a few punches that knocked the wind out of the girls before slamming Batman against the wall.
 
“There’s no more need for secrets, Bruce, so you need not hide behind this,” D.A.V.E. said as he ripped the cowl off Bruce’s head and held it up like a trophy. “And now I’ve finally proven that I’m better than you, that I’ve done what no other supervillain has done and not only broke you, but all of Gotham’s guardians. And every origin has an ending.” The tone of his voice sounded like he was ready for the kill, but the last thing he said gave Alicorn a wild idea. It was crazy, but it was better than nothing.
 
“D.A.V.E., there’s something you got wrong there. You didn’t figure out my origin.” Alicorn coughed as she tried to stand back up on her two feet.
 
“What are you talking about? I did. I explained it all.”
 
She smirked. “Sure, but that wasn’t my origin. Those were just the circumstances I ended up in. You couldn’t guess who I truly am. Go ahead, look up my records again if you want. You might notice that they seem to not exist prior to last August.” 

A flash of sparks fizzled from D.A.V.E.’s head.
 
“What? No, no, that can’t be possible,” D.A.V.E. muttered in confusion, seemingly short-circuiting from the new information. “I–I, predicted, I discovered.” 
 
“My name is Sunset Shimmer, a Unicorn, former apprentice of Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria!” Alicorn aimed her rapier once more as fire and lighting built up in the tip. D.A.V.E.’s mind being distracted was all the time she needed. “I treaded down dark paths and was brought back from the brink! I’ve fought and suffered to redeem myself! I’ve fought demons, sirens and all manner of crazy things, and I’m not going to be defeated by a hunk of junk like you!”
 
Her rapier exploded as a wave of fire and lightning soared out like a mythical dragon and crackled through the Batcave. An attack so large that D.A.V.E. was unable to move out of the way and took the full brunt of the attack that sent him flying into the wall of the cave. The fury of her attack sent the robotic criminal all around the cave, severely damaging almost every part of him before he landed right next to Alfred and Pamela, who had just finished helping Alfred escape.
 
“I...I...” D.A.V.E. muttered. He tried to move, but he realized his arms and legs had stopped working, the circuitry in them now fried from the heat.
 
“You have all the answers, D.A.V.E., but there is something important you seem to forget,” Bruce grunted as he made his way up to the upper platform as the blue wire was nearly snapped by Scarface’s mouth. Everyone could see that if D.A.V.E. didn’t move, he would be the one crushed by the penny.
 
“Every great supervillain has an origin, what’s yours?” 

More sparks flew from D.A.V.E.’s head.
 
“M-my origin?” His voice now sounded more erratic and broken. “I-I fell into a chemical bath.”
 
“That’s Joker’s,” Batgirl said.
 
“A cryogenic mishap. No, I-I lost my family fortune.”
 
“Mr. Freeze, Penguin,” Ivy corrected.
 
“Uh, an eccentric psychiatrist, hungry for knowledge of the criminal mind!”
 
“That’s Hugo Strange, your creator,” Alicorn explained. “You don’t have an origin because it never existed. You’re nothing more than a rogue computer program,  your body nothing but metal and wires.”
 
“But I am-“ More sparks flew out of D.A.V.E.’s damaged head as the glass around it now cracked. “Gotham’s ultimate criminal mastermind. I-I consider all the possibilities! How could I not have considered th-this?”
 
Bruce stepped up to the buttons before pressing the red one, shutting down the broadcast signal and keeping all their identities safe for another day. However, Scarface’s head bit down on the blue wire, causing it to snap and start the chain reaction that led to the Jack-in-the-box being wound up and ready to pop.
 
“You may not have a beginning, D.A.V.E., but you do have an end.” Bruce coldly stated as the Jack-in-the-box went off and sent the oversized penny flying down towards the shattered machine.
 
“NOOOO!” D.A.V.E. screamed before he was completely crushed under the penny. Everyone in the Batcave took a large sigh, relieved that the threat was over.
 
“Sir, I’ll be more than willing to clean this whole mess up,” Alfred offered.
 
“No, Alfred. Feel free to take the rest of the night off,” Bruce said. “We’ll handle the clean up.” 
 
“Could you at least get us some drinks and some ice, Alfred?” Batgirl asked. “My body is screaming in pain right now from all the abuse it took.” 

The butler bowed. “Certainly. Right away, Miss Gordon,” he said before stepping into the elevator. “I trust the rest of you would as well?” 

Alicorn and Ivy nodded. 

“Yes. Thank you, Alfred,” the magician said. 

Alfred returned the nods as the door closed. 

Alicorn used some magic to lift the penny and put it back in the area of the cave she remembered seeing it last. She was straining to move it due to its weight and how magically drained she felt at the moment.
 
“Scary to think how close we came to disaster today.” Ivy admitted. “Also scary to think how easy it is for someone to figure out who we are just by looking in all the right places.”
 
“That’s always a risk,” Bruce said as he sat down in the main chair by the computer. “You can cover your tracks very well, but there will always be a trail, however faint, somewhere.”
 
“Well, I know one thing for certain,” Alicorn sighed as she finally placed the penny down in a safe place before looking at the flattened remains of D.A.V.E. “Out of all the criminals in Gotham City, this is one villain who will never make a comeback tour.”