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"Succession Plans": Worriedly, Julia Pennyworth tries to get a hold of Bruce Wayne to warn him of the attack against Alfred. He was injected with Fear Toxin, and when she to

Quote1 Are you serious? However the hell you forced dad into... this... whatever this is for you-- what happened to him is your fault. Quote2
Julia Pennyworth

Batman Eternal #22 is an issue of the series Batman Eternal (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 2014. It was published on September 3, 2014.

Synopsis for "Succession Plans"

Worriedly, Julia Pennyworth tries to get a hold of Bruce Wayne to warn him of the attack against Alfred. He was injected with Fear Toxin, and when she took him to the hospital, the doctor's suggested hearing the voices of family might help him come out of his nightmare - but her voice had done nothing. Receiving no answer on the phone, Julia hangs up and prepares to leave the manor for the hospital, her eyes fall on the grandfather clock in the study. She recalls her father's cryptic warning about the clock, and realizes suddenly that he had been trying to deliver her a message. She turns the hands of the clock to the time 10:48, as he'd instructed, and the front of the clock opens up to reveal a passage.

At the Beacon Tower construction site, architect Andrew Trondsen and a project organizer debate the deadlines they have, and their supply issues, when a sudden burst of gunfire drops Trondsen's companion to the floor, dead. The shooters reveal themselves as The Architect and his men. Batman, meanwhile, is growing worried about how long it's been since he's heard from Alfred, concerned that he's spread his team too thin. Before he can return to the Batcave to check on Alfred, he receives a notification that the proximity sensor at Beacon Tower has been breached, and when he looks, he sees the Architect breaking in.

Julia, finds her way down into the Batcave herself, passing by the computers, where she is caught on camera. At that moment, Batman connects to the computers to talk to Alfred, and is enraged to see Julia standing there instead. When he demands to know where Alfred has gone, she responds that he's in the hospital, and Batman is taken aback. She begs him to go to the hospital and try to wake her father, but Bruce responds that he can't right now. Angrily, she points out that Alfred's condition is his fault, having surely forced the old man into this life. Batman responds that the Architect can kill hundreds with his explosives, and Alfred would want him to ensure that that doesn't happen.

When Trondsen demands to know what the Architect is doing to his building, the saboteur responds that this is actually his building. For months he had been rewriting the plans for the tower, designing its true nature. The sound of gunfire below them makes the hostage worry that the innocent workers below have been killed, but the Architect assures him that it is just a sign that the Batman has come early. Batman, meanwhile, feels a powerful resonance sending tremors through the building, which is shutting down the elevators. In order to rescue the workers, he requires Julia to tell him the plans of the building to point him to a secret WayneTech elevator. Making his own way to the roof, Batman takes down the Architect with explosive batarangs, and frees Trondsen.

He returns his attention to the Architect, demanding to know who he is working for. Insane, Gate responds that he is working for his family's legacy. Trondsen and the Beacon are just the start of something else. He explains that the building is speaking in whispers with its resonance. Batman takes a moment to listen to the "shhhh" the building is making, and realizes with horror that the man who attacked Alfred last night was Hush.

Below, Hush attacks and kills Andrew Trondsen, breaking his promises to leave the man to the Architect.

Appearing in "Succession Plans"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

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Other Characters:

  • Clint (Dies)
  • Andrew Trondsen (Dies)

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Links and References

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