**Lenny's Bar, New Gotham**
I come here night after night, waiting, watching, listening to the beat of the underground. The heart of chaos and misery in this city is right here, in this bar. The lowlives, and scoundrels, the criminals and the psychos, they all come here to brag about what they've done, who they've done it to, and when they'll do it next. They call me Patch, Patch Malone, they think I'm one of them, hell I've even come up with fake stories of my own. Far as they know, I'm a good for nothin small time crook, I pull bankheists and rob little old lady's TV sets............if they only new. I come here lookin for the ones that the law wont stop, that will keep hurting people until some one does. I look at them all the same way, I dont see their faces, I don't see any individuality, no I look at them and all I see is the guy who killed my parents, doesn't matter that I can't even remember what he looks like I still see him in their eyes. Two shots in the dark, a womans scream, my mother's scream, and in the darkness a terrible smile, and eyes that almost seemed to glow. I just can't help but see it every time I look at these sickos, hell in some ways I'm just waitin for him, hopin that one day he'll walk in and I get to spill his guts all over the floor, but would I do it? I used to kill, I was trained to kill, Weapon X set me up with all the weapons I would ever need, an adimantium skeleton, and my only six friends in the world, but then I was discharged. They told me I was unfit for the military when I refused to asasinate a president I had never even heard of in some third world country, but that didn't stop em' from sendin another agent in my place. Quinn was sent in my instead a' me, he was the only other agent ever to go threw the adimantium bonding process, his Codename was Hyena. The government realized they had made a mistake when Quinn not only took out his target, but also every other member of his family, and 68 civilians near by. He was given a dishonerable discharge and thrown out to the street, the government tried to erase him completly from their files, they didn't want to be linked to someone that was criminaly insane. So now Quinn has a body full a' adimantium, and the urge to kill just about anything that moves. He's sadistic as hell to, I remember runnin missions with him, and he almost seemed to enjoy killin, he would laugh hystericaly as he shot down soilders in the philipeans, then he'd even pick up there corpses and put on some sick sort of pupet show for the squad. Now if all of that wasn't bad enough there's one thing I left out, the two of us, were whats known as metamutants, people who for whatever reason are changed from regualr human beings to superpowered freaks. Some people say its radiation, other say it was drugs developed by the government, I even heard one guy goin on about it just being the next step in human evolution, whatever it is we got it, and Quinn is the one person you wouldn't want havin superpowers. Ya see the both of us have whats known as a healin factor. No matter what happens to us, no matter how fatal a wound, we heal up within a few hours or even minutes, which makes us virtualy un-killable. After I was discharged I started thinkin about what I was gona do with the rest of my life, my parents had left me their company after they died, but I was never a buisness man so thats why I joined the army and left it up to my uncle to run it. He was the only family I had left when they died, he took me in and raised me like a son, but one day I got a call, my uncle had been gunned down by a fella who tried to rob a bank. My uncle was the only one there who even tried to stop him, he died for being the only one who tried to do the right thing. That fulled my rage even further, whenever I was in battle I would kill off every oponent just thinking about my family being taken from me, but when I was discharged I started to rethink my life. I sat for hours just thinking about my uncle, what he did or tried to do. He knew the risk, he knew that he might die but he did it anyway. Thats when I realized that maybe doing the right thing is worth dieing for, and for someone that ya can't kill it should be a reponsibilty. So now I hunt them, the dark creatures of the night, as one of them, the darkest of them all. My claws now surve another purpose, instead of killing, they protect. So when I find one of these scum bags braging about who, when, and what their gona do next, I follow them, then I wait for that perfect moment, and thats when I come out of the darkness, claws at the ready, and every criminal and licebag in this city, my city, will all fear the name of..............................DARKCLAW!
One a these guys has been goin on about killin his ex-wife for about twenty minutes now. He's been flashin his gun, and even showin off the exact bullet he wants to use. Half of the ********s have been cheerin him on either say they wish they had knocked off their ex's, or tellin him how they HAD! While there aint to much I can do about these other *******s, I can follow this guy. I walk ou the door before while he finishes his drinks, and once he's had enough he comes stumblin out. He walks right past me and up to his car, drops his keys in a drunkin stooper, I can't let him drive in this condition, he might wind up hurtin someone else, so I toss a knife into his wheel while he's busy fishin for his keys. When he stands up he starts cussin up a storm and kickin his car. After his temper tantrums over he shoves his hands in his pockets and starts walkin, guess his house aint to far away. I duck around the corner and change into my "work clothes". He hasn't gotten to far, I can still smell him near by, another gift curtasy of my metamutant powers. I crawl up the side of the ally wall with my claws and hop on the roof. I follow this guys scent, jumping roof top to roof top. Finaly he stops dead in his tracks, I can smell fear all over him. He's home, and he's pulling his gun outa his jacket pocket, he rings for his apartment and I hear him ask his his wife to come downstairs. She says, "I'll be right down, I just hot the kids to sleep.", Oh god, its worse than I thought. Guys still hldin his gun, I wana jump down and just take him out now, but if I do that his wife never finds out what he was planin, and chances are this guy never goes to jail, which means he's free to try again, I can't let that happen. I wait a minute, the door opens, woman steps out, he pulls the gun up to her face and says,
"I'm sorry....."
Before he can pull the trigger I toss one of my "throwing claws" into his finger, cutting it off causing him to lose grip on the gun. I have a rope already attached to the building, I swing down and kick the guy in the stomach, wich knocks him down hard. While he's screamin about his finger, I walk up behind him and grab him by the colar. I lift him into the air and say,
"Boy did you pick the wrong night bub!"
I toss him face first into a near by car, busting his nose open. I look at his wife,
"Call the cops ma'am."
She looks back at me and responds with something I realy didn't expect,
"You'r not gona hurt him are ya?"
Like that should be her main concern! The guy just stuck a gun in her face, and she's gona worry about his wellbeing!
"No......No I aint gona hurt him, I figure I'll let the guys in Arkahm penitentiary do that, after you get the cops here to arrest his ass!"
"........o-Ok, yea......um......Who are you?"
".........just a friend. Go!"
She runs back inside, hopefully to get the cops on their way. I pick the guy up by the scruff of his neck and.......
BAM!
He must have had another gun hiden away, cuz he shot me right through the shoulder, of course it doesn't phase me bit. I've had worse injures than a bullet to the shoulder. I start laughin at the guy, and tilt my head downwards so all he sees are the fangs on my mask smilin at him.
"W-w-What are Y-you!?"
I pop my claws and shred his gun, grab him with my left hand holding those claws close to his neck, and the others in front of his eyes,
"I'm DARKCLAW!"
"Please don't kill me man, please man, I'm sorry, I'm sorry......I, I, I dont realy wana hurt anyone, I'm sorry please dont kill me!"
"I'm not going to kill you, your job is to tell all the boys in Arkahm about me! Tell every one of those psychos thats planin somethin as stupid as you were, that I'm out here, that New Gotham is MY town, and I aint ever leavin! Tell them that I'll find every one of em' and make what I did to you look like a picknick! YOU GOT THAT BUB?!!
"Ya, ya, ya, I'm sorry.....your not gona kill me, you swear?"
"I'm not gona kill ya, but that don't mean ya get off easy!"
I shove my claws deep into his thigh, so they peirce through all the way out to the other side. He lets out a scream and passes out. I grab the rope I used to swing down and tug it free. I them wrap it around his legs and pin his arms to his sides, no way he's gettin out! I toss the end of the rope around a near by lamp post and pull him to the top, tying the rope around it tight. I hear sirens comin round the corner, time to spilt. I use that same little trick with my claws to scale the wall, the cops arrive right as I reach the top. They shine their spotlights up at me and start demanding that I freeze. I rush to the back of the building and open my cape. The memory cloth from Wayne/Howlett enterprises allows me to glide for about a good two thousand feet before I start to decline. I manage to take myself almost all they way to my bike behind Lenny's bar. I land and roll, springing onto my feet, hurling through the air, and landing on my bike. I start up the engine, and head for home. Wayne manor, the estate left behind by my parents, I come in the back way, hoping not to wake up Charles. I pull into the garage and start to park my bike when all of asudden the light switches on, on instict I pop my claws.
"Master Wayne, if you insist on sneaking in at night, fanatasizing that in some way I am sleeping, could you perhaps use a vehicle that has a slightly lowered decible level."
Charles Pennyworth, my personal shofer, buttler, cook, and most trusted friend. He was the only person , exept for my Uncle, who was there for me after the death of my parents. He has been with me all my life, he even moved to Canada with me when I had to move in with my uncle and leave New Gotham. He's never left my side, when I went into the army he stayed at my Uncles house preparing everything for my return when I would get off on leave, and when I was discharged and I told him my plans for being a costumed vigilanty, he could'nt have been more supportive if he tried. He tells me all the time about how proud my father would have been. He's the only person I trust.
"Sorry Chuck, I'll take the bus next time."
"Indeed, I take it tonights activitys went well?"
"You could say that."
"Your outfit seems in need of mending, I'll have it repaired by the morning."
"You aint gota do that Chuck."
"It WILL be repaired by the morning. Now you should get some sleep Master Wayne, you have a meeting with the Wayne/Howlett board tommorow. Perhaps I can offer you some warm milk and toast?"
"How bout a stogie and a brew?"
"Right away sir."
I take off my cape, cowl, shirt and gloves, handing them to Charles, then I make my way up to my room. This place is huge, never realy been my style to have a house this big but it was my parent's and I have so many memories here, I just couldn't leave it behind. It also has giant caves and buroughs runnin through it underneath. Should give me plenty of space for the projects I have in mind. I already got a butt load of tech from the company, my cape, some military speacial projects from our defence contracts, and enough supercomputers to blow Bill Gates away, but I have some ideas of my own, bigger things that wont fit in my belt or in the livin room. Once in my room turn on my TV and start doin pushups. The local news comes on sayin they have a speacial report, I sit up and listen closey.
<We come to you tonight with breaking news! In east New Gotham tonight, there has been another sighting of the mysterious figure known only as "Darkclaw". The police were called by Mary Ann Webster, a local resident, who reported that upon her husbands arrival he pulled a gun on her in an attempt to end her life. The man was disarmed and brutaly mauled by someone who the woman desribed as being a "a large vicious looking man with fangs and claws". The woman reportedly asked the man his name and his only respone was, "I'm just a freind". Upon police arrival the man had scaled the top of the apartment building and police camera's were able to catch a slight glimps of the man before he fled the crime see. (shows unfocused picture) The woman's husband, thirty two year old Brian Webster, was arrested at the scene on charges of spousal abuse, disturbance of the peace, and two unpermited weapons charges. If Mr. Webster is convicted it will be the tenth conviction of which "Darkclaw" will be responsible for.>
Guess I'm becoming a popular guy. I guess in a way thats what I wanted, to be well known, so that way every time on of these punks thinks about comiting a crime they have to look over their shoulder for me, should put an end to alot of it. Charles walks in holdin my brew and stogie on at tray.
"Here you are sir, your Canadian special lager, and a fine Cuban cigar."
"Thanks Chuck, but I would have settled for a cheap Gacia & Vega, but I apreciate it, ESPECIALY the Canadian brew.
"Your most welcome sir. I see Darkclaw has monopolized the nightly news."
"What can I say, good television."
"Indeed, try to get some rest sir, you do have a rather large day ahead of you."
"Sure thing Chuck. Night."
"Good night to you Master Wayne."
"Cant you ever call me Logan?"
"Fine, good night Master Logan."
"You.........never mind. Master Wayne is fine, has a better ring to it."
"Good night sir."
I chug down my beer, smoke up my cigar and crawl in bed. Soon enough I'm asleep and dreamin the same dream I have every night. My parents death flashes through my head. Two shots, the smile, the eyes, my parents falling to the ground, and a voice.........
"You ever danced with the devil by the pale moon light? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
