[[ After a few days, Gotham City]]
A black sedan crawled through the narrow streets of Gotham's industrial district. Inside, four men sat in silence. Their eyes were black.
The vehicle stopped three blocks from Wayne Manor. The driver cut the engine. No one moved.
Miles away, a figure in a black robe stood before a window in a rented room. The body he wore was unremarkable — mid-forties, thinning hair, soft hands. A lawyer, perhaps. Or an accountant. Someone no one would remember.
He had traced the interference. The Winchesters were untouchable now, hidden in their bunker. But the other one — the one who had exorcised two demons on a Kansas road — was not hidden. His name was Bruce Wayne. He lived in Gotham City.
The robed figure watched the distant glow of the city. His vessel's lips moved.
"You four. Go. Eliminate them. Leave no trace."
---
Wayne Manor sat calm in the darkness. Garden lights marked the pathways. A fountain murmured near the east wing. Alfred Pennyworth was in the security room, monitoring the sensor grid.
Two blips appeared on the south lawn.
Alfred leaned forward. The thermal cameras showed two figures standing motionless near the rose garden. They had not approached from the gate. They had simply appeared between one camera sweep and the next.
A third figure was retreating. Running. Alfred watched him reach the property boundary, stumble, and collapse just beyond the wall.
The two in the garden had not moved.
Alfred pressed the intercom. "Master Bruce. Master Thomas. We have intruders. South garden. Two individuals. They appear to be... frozen in place."
---
Bruce and Thomas ran through the dark halls. No words. Just footsteps on marble.
They burst through the garden doors. The night air was cold. The fountain still murmured. And there, twenty yards away, stood two men. Motionless. Arms at their sides. Facing the manor but unable to step forward.
Bruce stopped. Thomas stopped beside him.
The men were shaking. Straining. Their legs would not move.
"The protection sigils," Bruce said. "They're working."
Thomas stared at the trapped intruders. His breathing slowed. His eyes narrowed. "Stay here."
"Father—"
"Stay."
Thomas walked back into the manor. His footsteps were quick and hard. In the study, he pulled a drawer. The exorcism pages were there — printed from the Men of Letters database, translated, laminated. He grabbed the top sheet and returned to the garden.
Bruce had not moved. The two men had not moved.
Thomas approached until he was five feet from them. Close enough to see their faces. Close enough to see their eyes.
Black. Solid black. No white. No pupil. Just oil.
Thomas held the exorcism page steady. His voice was quiet.
"So. It's true. Possession causes black eyes."
One of the demons smiled. The expression was wrong on the host's face.
The other one spoke. "Wards. Sigils. You think walls will save you."
Thomas didn't flinch. "Why have you come to my home?"
"The master sent us."
"Who is your master?"
The demon laughed. A wet, choking sound. "You'll meet him soon enough. When your walls fall. When your sigils crack. When your son is bleeding at your feet."
Thomas folded the exorcism page and His hands were steady.
"You are on my property. You are trapped by my wards. You will answer my question, or I will send you back to hell myself."
The demons stopped smiling.
Bruce stepped forward. "Father. Let me."
"No." Thomas raised the page and began to read aloud.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus..."
The demons screamed. Black smoke poured from their mouths. It twisted in the air above the roses, shrieking, and then plunged downward into the earth.
The two host bodies collapsed. Unconscious. Human.
Silence returned to the garden.
Thomas lowered the page. His hands were still steady.
"Alfred."
"Sir?" The intercom crackled.
"Two bodies in the garden. Call an ambulance. Tell them exposure and exhaustion. And check the property boundary. There may be more."
"Already located, sir. Two more unidentified tracking sir "
Thomas looked at Bruce. "The sigils worked. But they'll try again. Next time with more. Or with something smarter."