I feel the rage. And I let the monster out. 
- — Batwing
Batwing #5 is an issue of the series Batwing (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 2012. It was published on January 4, 2012.
Synopsis for "Like a Nightmare Coming to Life"
In a flashback, General Keita orders David to murder an enemy by setting him on fire. Though clearly repelled, David carries out the order.
In the present he wakes up horrified, having relived this scene in a nightmare. He reflects that his PTSD used to be so bad that he saw visions whilst he was awake. Now they come in his dreams about once a week, though he sees this as small penance for his past actions, and now tries to repay his sins as Batwing.
Matu, sensing what has happened, encourages David to talk about it but he resists, so instead they discuss an upcoming event at the Citadel, former HQ of the Kingdom, in which Batwing and Batman are acting as a security detail.
At the event, David talks to fellow police officer Kia Okuru, who thinks he's brave for coming back to work so soon after his horrific injuries. David returns the compliment, and Kia wonders why Massacre let her live. David suggests it's because of her gender, and Kia tells him he should go back to his desk job and walks away.
Matu informs David that Batman is staying back and maintaining a watch over the new museum's benefactors, Josiah Kone and Bruce Wayne.
Meanwhile Kone thanks Wayne for his donation, saying that the museum will help the people of the DRC better understand the people who gave them their freedom - the Kingdom. Wayne replies that the worst-kept secret in his circles is that Kone worked for the Kingdom, handled their tech and designed the Citadel. Kone responds that the Kingdom sacrificed everything to the Congo, and wants to know what Wayne, as the man who funds Batman, is doing to stop Massacre from killing ex-members of that organisation.
Suddenly, Massacre opens fire from the crowd with a high tech gun. Without his full body armour, but with his skull mask still obscuring his face, David notes that he looks smaller. Wayne knocks Kone to the ground and Okuru orders her fellow officers to open fire. Massacre confronts her and she shoots him, but he is still not taken down, and points his own weapon at her. A voice shouts for Okuru to go limp, and David, in his Batwing suit, swoops in and sweeps her up. Okuru remarks that this is not the same man who has carried out the other attacks under the name of Massacre. David puts her down and orders her to carry out an evacuation. Matu informs him that Wayne and Kone are with the guards. Suddenly a battalion of men wearing Massacre masks appear, and Batman and Batwing begin to fight them. The ground shakes and Batman shouts for everyone to run, as explosions around the base of the Citadel cause the building to collapse.
In the fog and confusion, Batwing lets his rage build up and attacks one of the Massacre lookalikes. Batman has found Kone unconscious and calls for Batwing to report in, but David is busy yelling at his victim. He learns that they were paid to scare everyone away from the building before bringing it down, and David wonders why Massacre would show mercy in this way. Realising that the man must have called Massacre when they were ready to blow up the tower, he takes his phone and gets Matu to trace the last number it called. Matu traces it to Giza, in Egypt, and Batwing responds that that's where this fight will end.
Appearing in "Like a Nightmare Coming to Life"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Batman Incorporated
- Isaac Zavimbe (Flashback only)
- Kia Okuru
- The Kingdom
- Josiah Kone (First appearance)
- Matu Ba
Antagonists:
- Army of the Dawn
- General Keita (Flashback only)
- Massacre (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Africa
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The Citadel (Destroyed)
- Egypt
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
There seems to be a continuity error here. David and Okuru discuss how Massacre left her alive but badly injured in his attack on the police station in issue 2. However in issue 2, Okuru arrives after the attack with other officers, leading an assault which causes Massacre to flee, and she is not injured in this scene.
See Also