Synopsis for "The Court of Owls, Part Nine: Night of the Owls"

Talon (Alton Carver) (First appearance; dies)
Solomon Wayne (First appearance)
Joshua Wayne (First appearance)
Lincoln March (Apparent Death)

In 1855, the brothers Solomon and Joshua Wayne purchased the building which would become known as Wayne Manor. Unfortunately, they couldn't move in until two years later, because the caves beneath the manor had been infested with bats. After some consultation, they decided that the best way to eliminate the bats would be to introduce a predator to the caves. The most effective bird for culling the bats turned out to be a Tiger Owl. Within a year, all of the bats were gone.

Now, as then, the bats of those caves are subject to being clawed at by the Talons of the Court of Owls. Batman bravely struggles to keep the Talons occupied long enough for Alfred to lower the temperature in the Batcave to below zero, from the relative safety of the armoury. Unfortunately, it could well be five minutes before temperatures are low enough to completely subdue the Talons and eliminate their regenerative healing factors. Bruce's Warsuit is specially equipped for a wide variety of environmental conditions, and he hopes that he will be able to survive long enough in it for the temperature to drop.

Unfortunately, his resistance is waning, and the Talons knock him to the ground at the foot of the Tyrannosaurus Rex which he has kept since his adventure on Dinosaur Island. The assembled assassins begin tearing and smashing at his armour. Still, Bruce has a few tricks left. Suddenly, the dinosaur raises its foot, and brings it crushing down on the Talons. This only serves to anger the remaining Talons further, and they begin mercilessly stabbing at him through his armour.

Alfred notices that Bruce's vitals are rapidly dropping, and begs him to return to the armoury. Stubbornly, Bruce coughs that those doors won't hold, disregarding the fact that his own body may not hold any longer than the doors. Alfred attempts to leave the armoury to help him, but Bruce overrides the door command before slipping out of consciousness.

Bruce realizes that he had forgotten something about the story of his family's arrival at the manor. They had used owls to kill all of the bats, but even after that culling, the bats returned as soon as the owls left. The bats had hidden deeper in the caves, knowing the owls couldn't tolerate those darker places. When the bats came back, it was with a vengeance. Bruce rises as a swarm of bats - stirred from their sleep by the change in temperature - begins attacking the Talons. Bruce casts aside his Warsuit and pulls his cowl down over his face. The bat has returned.

With the Talons distracted by the bats, Batman lands heavy punches as the temperature drops to the point at which the assassins cannot regenerate. Batman notices one of the Talons trying to escape, and entering the Batmobile, he runs the assassin down, instructing Alfred to freeze the remaining talons with the coolant he prepared. In the meantime, there is an owl symbol in the sky over Gotham City, and the time has come to snuff it out.

Synopsis continued at...
dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_Vol_2_9

Synopsis for "The Fall of the House of Wayne, Part I"

Jarvis Pennyworth has been working under the Wayne family at Wayne Manor for some years. Now, he writes a letter to his young son Alfred Pennyworth on what he believes may be the last night of his life. As frightened as he is for his own life, Jarvis Pennyworth is just as frightened for Alfred's. Despite the fact that Alfred is set to take over at Wayne Manor for him, Jarvis does not want this life for his son. This is because he believes that Wayne Manor - indeed, the Wayne family - is cursed.

Behind the glory of the Wayne family, Jarvis began to uncover darker shadows, and terrible danger.

Synopsis continued at...
dc.wikia.com/wik

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