Detective Comics (Detective Comics Vol. 3 #976)

BATMEN ETERNAL, PART 1

Several weeks ago, in Gotham City, a man referred to as Lord Shokkà is arranging with his thugs the selling of a group of kids, sitting in a van. Suddenly, the lights turn off and Orphan shows up, stating she'll save the children. She easily defeats Shokkà's minions, and as he tries to use his electric powers against her, he's crushed to the ground by Clayface. Orphan looks worried about the appearance of new Yakuza members, but Clayface jokingly reassures her.

Now, at Wayne Manor, Cassandra is interviewed by doctor Leslie Thompkins, who later talks to Bruce about how concerned she is for the girl's mental stability: should she continue down this path, the psychologist says, she'll only get worse. Tim Drake witnesses the scene from his window.

As part of an operation for the Colony, a team led by Batwoman, Batwing and Azrael defeats a group of Talons sent by the Court of Owls to retrieve a "container" that is supposed to change the economy of South America for an entire generation from a ship. Colonel Kane, Batwoman's father, watches the operation unfold from the Colony Airship Alpha, saying not to send backup, as it would only "get in her way".

In the Batcave, Red Robin meets Batman, who'd been delaying his night patrol to confront him. Batman has found out that Tim has been working on the Batcomputer for weeks, in order to plan a new base of operations for the Knights Protocol, which was recently shut down. The two heroes have a furious quarrel: Batman states that Batgirl is right about the project and that the old Tim, not corrupted by his twisted, older self from a dystopian future, would understand; Tim, on the other hand, claims that this isn't a kid's whim, but the only way to grant a solid legacy to the Batfamily after he's retired. When Bruce says he wants Tim to talk to doctor Thompkins too, Red Robin storms out of the cave.

On Colony Airship Alpha, Batwoman and her aids are saluted after their successful mission. Azrael is still shocked to think how the tables turned and their enemies became their friends. Arrived at the main deck, in the General's room, Katherine explains her goal for the future: to transform the Colony into a global peace force, hopefully with the aid of her friends. Lucas and Jean-Paul agree, on condition that lethal force be used only in extreme situations. Colonel Kane is happy with the turn of events, and Kate asks what will be their first mission.

Red Robin comes back to the Batcave, angry at the situation he finds himself in. As he screams and punches the walls, a voice tells him he knows how he feels, being the only one smart enough to see that things are shaping in a bad way. This mysterious individual also knows about his future self, and what he has learnt from him. Eventually, the mystery man turns out to be Ulysses Armstrong, who claims he has stolen "the entire history of the future" from Tim's future self, and that he's willing to show it to him.