The "Ultimate DC" RPG

[Venom160]

(IC: Batman)



Sirens are coming in fast. Dent is still wrestling with his subconcious. Fields is dead. Can't get to the Batmobile and subdue Dent at the same time. For the first time in my life, since the death of my parents... I don't know what to do.

Even that became clear, overtime. I needed to quinch my thirst for retribution... for justice. Somewhere along that line, I decided to do this. How I came to that decision is something I still ask myself every day... But in any case, I am truly lost with this.

I cannot let Dent escape. If I would, the night would be nothing short of a total failure. But at the same time... I know Gotham City's police force. They don't like me. If they arrive, not only will they arrest Dent, but I'll be persued aswell. And then it'll all be over. I just don't...

No. I do know what I have to do. I just don't want to do it. But sometimes... There comes a want, and a need. And sometimes...

I leap forward, kicking Dent back, and onto the ground with one of my feet.

... Sometimes... You have to go against your own selfish wants, and do what needs to be done irregardless.

"They're coming for you. Both of you. And when they come... You're going to jail for murder. Even if I have to drag you there myself."

[Two-Face]

I start laughing.

"Your a fool! Did you really think I didnt have a plan for a situation like this?"

I lunge for the knife and plunge it into my stomach, I smile as the police pull up and start swarming from there cars.

"Police freeze!"

I give Batman a small smile and subdue Dent so he won't ruin this.

"Argh officers help! Batman killed Fields and stabbed me when I tried to stop him!"

 

[Batman]

(IC: Batman)

[Two-Face]

I start laughing.

"Your a fool! Did you really think I didnt have a plan for a situation like this?"

I lunge for the knife and plunge it into my stomach, I smile as the police pull up and start swarming from there cars.

"Police freeze!"

I give Batman a small smile and subdue Dent so he won't ruin this.

"Argh officers help! Batman killed Fields and stabbed me when I tried to stop him!"

Oh god. Oh dear god. This isn't good at all...

I look at Dent, eyes widened at the statement he makes. His other half must've taken control... I'm sure Dent himself wouldn't have done that. I turn my attention to the police, who point their guns at me. I hear the clicks. They're ready to blast me away at any given moment.

I look at Field's body. The blood on the Batmobile... Everything falling into place... I can definatley imagine how this looks. Damn it... I can't overpower them. There's too many.

"BATMAN! ON THE GROUND, NOW! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!", One barks.

"Wait! You don't understand! He's lying!"

"HE'S AN ELECTED OFFICIAL OF THIS CITY! YOU'RE A VIGILANTE! ON THE GROUND, NOW!"

I think the time of trying to reason with them is past point. They're serious, and they believed I commited the crime. Backed with my reputation filled with vigilantism and brutality, aswell as Dent's public record despite the fact that he's been driven to insanity, means that I'm very much... as Alfred would put it... 'in a heated kettle'.

Alright. Need to weigh out my options. I tried reason. I can also try force... But that would do little to help my case. I'd be guilty in all eyes. Gordon isn't here to defend me... And even if he was, the evidence against me would surely put doubt into his mind. Aswell and Lance's and Dawes'.

I hold my hands up. That should ease their stance, for the moment I need. Alright. Need to time this right. One wrong move, and I'm done for sure. Take it. NOW.

I roll across the ground, dodging their already persistant gunfire as a response to my sudden movement. I unhook the pouch on my belt, and throw out the Batarang. It flies through the air, smashing the light they had shined on me. That should give me a temporary advantage. Reaching into my belt again, I throw down a gas capsle, and watch as it envelops the entire area.

I look around, trying to find Dent. I switch the lenses in my cowl to infared... But even that is clouded. And there are too many people in the area. If I attack, I'm liable to grab an officer by mistake. Damn it. I can't find him through this. And the gas is clearing. I won't have time to. I-

I failed. I failed even more than I realised. I've lost Dent, and he's killed someone. Not to mention that he managed to put the blame on me. But this isn't the time...

Running for leverage, I flip, rolling over the hood of the Batmobile, as the cockpit slides open. Don't slow down. Not even for a second. I leap in, and close the window immediatley. Taking to the controls, I immediatley hit the gas as the gunfire begins again. Bullets bounce off the armor as the engine roars to life, and minutes later, I find myself rocketing out of the area.

None of this was supposed to happen. Not Field's death. Not the framing. None of it. I should've payed more attention to Dent... Should've taken him down when I had the chance.

I trusted him. That was my mistake. Never again. I'm not going to be so quick aid anymore. No more games, with these people. It's time to get serious. Time to take Gotham from their unlawful hands once and for all. It's time the real war began.

I look back, hearing something. My eyes widen. Sirens...

Oh no. They're persuing me.

 

[Batman]

IC: Batman

I don't even give them time to catch up. That's the last thing I want, in this situation. I pull the acceleration down as hard as I can, and dodge into traffic. I can still hear them, even now.

Face it. You've got a slim chance of making it through this.

My body seems to ignore my subconcious as I fly past numerous cars, speeding onto the main roadway. Need to lose them. I can't afford to lure them back to the Manor, or the Cave. Alfred told me that they'd already finished construction. The last thing I want is to have it blown to bits by an army of Gotham's finest.

I look up, noticing something. A light, shined onto the Batmobile. I...

A helicopter. They've sent a helicopter after me. Damn it. This gets worse by the minute.

I turn the wheel, heading off the main road. I don't know whether they'll open fire on me in traffic... But I can't risk the civillian casualties. Even if I have to become the casuality. I turn the wheel again, heading into a multi-level parking garage. The engine is screaming, by now. I can feel the adrenaline hit me. My body is preparing itself for the worst.

I drive to the second floor, and speed on as the helicopter lowers, trying to get it's light focused on The Batmobile. I make it to the third floor. Then the fourth. The copter keeps following. I can't lose it, it seems. They're determined. Pity their efforts will prove to be wasted.

I finally make it to the roof. If I've gone fast enough, I've probably managed to confuse the helicopter into thinking I'm going in circles on the other floors of the building. If I'm lucky.

I look forward. Another rush of adrenaline as I turn the wheel, sending the Batmobile into a screeching drift halt. My luck just all but ran out. The helicopter flies upwards, it's light still very much focused on me. I turn my head, hearing the sirens below. The squad cars have made it into the building. I look up, hearing the demands from the helicopter pilot.

"BATMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING! TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE AND STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE, OR WE WILL USE LETHAL FORCE!"

I narrow my eyes at it. I only wish they could see my face, right now. The look of fearlessness as I realise that I'm not afraid of them. Any of them. It'd haunt their souls to the very day that they'd die. My fearless nature has already done it to me...

If they think I'm about to surrender... They're gunning for a lost cause.

I pull down on the throttle, revving the engine. A sort of warning for what I'm about to do. I'm at least thirty stories up. A fall from this height, and the Batmobile would be totaled, crushing me inside. For some bizairre reason... I like those odds.

They open fire, after my warning. The bullets bounce off of the Batmobile's armor as I hit the throttle with full force. The car rockets forward, heading straight for the edge of the roof at blinding speeds. It's only after I'm airbourne that I realise how insane I must be for trying this. But then again... that never stopped me before.

The front wheels connect to the opposite rooftop. I've made it. I look back, seeing the helicopter as it scrambles to turn around and get it's spotlight back on me. They didn't expect that. Can't blame them... I didn't expect to do it either. I turn my attention back to the roof. No time to focus on that now... I need to figure out how I'm going to make it back to the streets. The Batmobiles flies, again, as I make it to another rooftop. Debris goes flying as I speed forward, further and further away from the squad cars.

I look over, noticing the overpass not far from me. Could be my only chance back to the mainroad. I turn the wheel, taking it, as the Batmobile leaps over another gap. I look back, seeing the helicopter finally managing to turn. If anything, I've been given a headstart, and I'm fortunate to get that. I turn my head back to the overpass. My eyes widen, a little.

They're preparing for me. They've got a set of squad cars parked where I would need to jump on. If I do this, I- ... ... ...I crush their cars into dust, with the force of the Batmobile. My hand grasps the throttle as I plunge the Batmobile into one, final rampless jump. I can only pray no one is hurt, from this...

The Batmobile connects, smashing onto the hood of one as I turn the wheel, making the Batmobile spin, and smash one of the empty squad cars out of the way. The officers dive out of my path as The Batmobile speeds away from them. I look back, seeing them. They won't have time to continue their persuit. But I realise that I still have the copter to worry about, as it flies past them, heading for me. I turn my attention to the road, as The Batmobile dodges traffic.

My suspicions are confirmed as the helicopter opens fire on me. They don't care about civillian casualities... as long as they manage to rough up their target. The corruption in this city sometimes leaves me speechless. Other times, it only reminds me why I'm doing this. If they honestly believe this is going to make them look like heroes... They're even more idiotic than I originally concieved.

The Batmobile turns, taking a ramp as I pilot it to the mainroad, again. I couldn't. I just couldn't let them take any civillian casualties. No one should have to die just because of a misunderstanding. Even if it is to this level of brutality. I look back, seeing the helicopter. It's still firing shots. The only reason it's doing that is because of the searchlight on me. If I could lose it.

I look over, seeing a construction site. Perfect. This may be my last possible escape. I turn the wheel, as The Batmobile breaks through the chainmail gate. I can't imagine how I'm going to explain any of this to Alfred. The helicopter follows me in, still firing. You'd have thought they'd have realised by now that they're doing little to nothing, with that.

Wait. They're not firing at me. I look over, seeing their target. I...

"Good god..."

I immediatley turn the wheel, trying to avoid what's going to happen next. Their bullets... They're trying to hit a gas tank. They're not trying to arrest me... They're trying to kill-

Too late. I feel the force of the blast, as The Batmobile is sent spinning through the air. The next thing I remember is trying, and failing, to regain control of the car's decent. But after that... All I remember is the crushing. The defeaning noise of the circuits being smashed, and the windsheild shattering. Not to mention the pain surging throughtout my body.

This... may be it. I may die, right here. At the hands of a corrupted police force who have blindedly been chosen to serve my father's city. It would be a fine death. Just... not fine enough...

That's when I feel it. The blackout. I'm... fading...

* * *

I feel the tug, at my arm. Someone's grabbed ahold of it. My eyes open, as I realise my arm is sticking out through the windshield. I can see the blood on it. I'm... still breathing. And someone is tugging at my arm. The police? Is this my capture? Wait... No. From what I can tell, he or she isn't dressed like that. But who...?

"Batman? Batman! Can you hear me?!"

I grab the barely intact seat of the car as I push a button, unbuckling the seat belt. The tug finally manages to pull me forward, as I aid them by climbing my way out. I fall to the ground, at their feet. The voice... it's familiar. Who... I...

They turn me on my back. My vision is still a little blurred... but it's coming to. I look up, confused, as I try... and fail to move, seeing who pulled me out.

"Y... You...?"

She's still in shock by my appearance, it seems, as she looks down. My other wound, from Dent. She looks back up at me.

"I saw it on the news. The police left. Probably thought you were dead.", She says, still monitoring my wounds as I place my hand to my forehead. 'Headache' is an understatement, at this point.

Rachel Dawes. The second in three that I recruited for help in this 'war'. Only after Jim Gordon agreed to help me. The state of those allieances may have been put into question, after tonight. But she's here? Helping me? But... why?

"W... W... Why...?", I ask, weakly. I think my windpipe may have taken some damage from the impact.

"Because you're innocent.", She says. "I'll explain later. We need to get you out of here..."

She leans down, grabbing my arm and throwing it over her shoulder. In a minute, I've found myself on my legs, again. But barely. My body's taken damage, from this... I can tell. Nothing drastic... but enough to get me bleeding alot.

Head's spinning. I don't even remember getting into her car... but the next minute, we're on the mainroad again. I look over, as she glances at me, again.

"God... you're bleeding. More than you should. We have to get you to a hospital.", She says, focusing back on the road.

I shake my head.

"N-N... No... No hospit... hospitals... Can't..."

She looks at me, sharply. She doesn't understand. They're looking for me... To take me to a hospital would guarantee my arrest.

"We can't leave you like this. And I'm not a surgeon. Someone has to treat you."

I think, for a moment. Leslie Thompkins. Where I took Vicki Vale, after her encounter with The Scarecrow. Are we near her...?

"Wh... Where... are we...?"

"We're heading towards 5th, right now."

Damn it. We're on the other side of town. Never make it in time... We're closer to the Manor than we are to-

...No. I can't. My identity would be comprimised. She'd know who I really am. I can't risk... I-

I look down at my wounds. They're seeping with blood. I'm losing more and more as time passes. Alfred could sew and patch me up... but in my current state, I can't drive myself. Head's still spinning. Won't be able to have an identity to comprimise... I'll be dead, if this continues. Losing too much blood...

To hell with it.

I sit forward, covering my wound the best that I can, as I speak.

"Take... mainroad... out of city..."

"What? Why?!"

"D... Do it... We're heading... heading... Wayne... Wayne Manor..."

"Wayne Manor? Why there? You're not going to be able to-"

I grab her arm with one hand, and pull back my cowl with the other. Silence fills the air, for a straight moment. She looks at me, speechless. I... I've never done this. Revealing who I am to an outsider before. This could be a mistake. Then again... dying would be a mistake. Especially now that I know how bad the corrpution really is in Gotham...

"... T... Trust me. I know... what I'm t... talking about..."

And then, the blackout comes, again. Whether I've made the biggest mistake of my life remains to be seen. Of course... Whether I'll live through the night remains to be seen.

 

[Green Lantern]

In minutes Barry was in Keystone, at the KCPD headquarters. "Captain, what can you tell me about this 'Heatwave'?"

Captain Gil Barrow dropped his coffee mug in shock "HEY COMMISH, YOU MAY WANNA GET OUT HERE! We gots company!"

Commisioner Hotchkiss came out of his office. "BARRY! My boy, good to see you. Things have been goin to s**t in your absence. Where in the Sam Hell you been kid? Never mind. I take it you got this psycho's message? He seems out for your blood Bar. There are only three high profile research facilities he has left to hit... Here take a look." He handed Barry a non detailed map of Keystone with seven red dots and three blue dots. "The red dots, he's hit already. The blue are whats left: KSU, STAR and KALL systems. What do you think?"

"I'd say he's gonna leave the two highest profile ones til last... which means KALL is next. However, I'd recomend putting a squad of officers at the other two just in case. I'll be in touch."

"Gotcha Barry. Good luck."

Barry ran off to KALL Systems on the far east side of the town. He sat in wait until after dark. Shortly after dark a man in a red suit covering his whole body entered the building, brandishing a flame thrower and wearing a helmet with a black shine resistant face plate.

"Gonna be a hot time in the old town tonight!"

As he pulled the trigger, Barry leaped out of the shadows. "Hey, red ranger! Didn't cher mom tell you not to play with fire? You might get burned!"

As the flames erupted outward from the gun, Barry tackled Heatwave.As the two exchanged punches, the licks of flame drew nearer and nearer to the barrels marked PETN. Barry saw this and his eyes went wide under his mask. Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, one of most highly explosive chemical combinations known to man.... S**t this isn't good. "Hey, Beetle Borg, lets move! This place is gonna blow, and I don't think even I have time to stop it!"

Without waiting for a reply, Barry grabbed Heatwave and carried him out of the building. In their wake the whole compound blew in a flash of white, red, orange and blue.

Coughing Heatwave looked up at him. "Cough... you saved me... why?"

"Call me mildly ******ed, or call me a hero, it's what I do. I save people. Good and bad."

"Your loss, you stupid sunovab**ch. You pathetic gullible twit."

With the nozzle of his gun right in Barry's stomach, he pulled the trigger. The flames ate partially through the uniform, and the surprise of the attack knocked Barry unconscious. When he awoke, Heatwave was gone but a note was left.

"You're quite the equal adversary Allen. I'm gonna lay low, don't try to find me, it won't work. We'll meet again soon --- Heatwave"

Allen ran to the nearest precinct and reported in. "Chief, he got away. I saved him from the explosion, and as payment he blasted me in the stomach with his flame thrower."

"No time to worry about that now Allen. We got another nutcase. He's attacking STAR Labs now. Holding the staff ransom, and has already killed four officers. Froze them solid. Kinda like that Freeze character up in Gotham. Says he'll start freezing a hostage an hour if we don't put 2 mil in his Swiss account."

"Oh great... nother freak to deal with. JOY. AND another having to do with the elements... whats next? Mr. Twister?!?"

 

[Batman]

IC: Bruce Wayne

The first thing I notice is the sound of whurring. The whurring builds into screeching. Bats. I'm hearing Bats. I then feel it. The cold draft... the immistakeable feeling of horror and intrigue. Even before I open my eyes, I realise where I am. The cave.

My eyes are greeted with the sight of hanging bats, above me, as my vision comes to. They hang, careless. Probably my main visitor, throughout this. Wait... Wait... what happened? How did I get here? Did I lose too much blood? I move. Then immediatley cease, when I realise how much it hurts. I look down at my body... Hoping that I haven't lost anything.

My abdomial area is bandaged. I can see where a spot has stitches. Where Dent cut me, If I recall. I look over at my arm, seeing a cast. My fingers wrapped in thin bandages aswell. I can also feel a bandage on my forehead, aswell as the injury. My legs seem undamaged... Most of it was the left side of my top half. Probably where I crashed. I definatley don't look well. And that's being generous...

"I was beginning to wonder if you would end up opening your eyes again?"

I look over, seeing Alfred. He smiles, a little. I was worried... Worried of what he'd think of me after this. Maybe it isn't as bad as I thought.

"You took quite a fall, Sir."

I sigh, a little. More at the pain than anything.

"I think I've heard that before.", I say, softly, thinking of the time I fell into this place as a child.

"Then you've developed quite the knack for falling.", He responds. "How do you feel?"

"How do I look?", I ask, with a smirk.

"...Right, then. We'll avoid the matter.", Alfred says.

"Anything broken?"

"All fractures, thank goodness. I managed to get the wound on your abdomials plugged before you lost a lethal amount of blood. Otherwise, you're in top condition.", Alfred says. "Physically speaking, at least."

I raise an eyebrow, looking at him.

"What do you mean?"

He hesitates. It's obvious. Something's going on.

"I'm... not sure of you remember or not, but during the time of the trauma that you endured... There was a course of action that, if I know you well enough... you probably wouldn't have taken.", Alfred continues, looking back.

I follow his gaze. It's my cowl, sitting on one of the tables. Why would he-

...

Rachel. Oh no. I remember now. Everything... I showed my face. I told her to bring me here. She knows. She knows who I really am, now. She knows that Bruce Wayne and Batman are, infact, one in the same. I go to move again, but the pain makes me cringe. Alfred moves forward, helping me up, slowly. I manage to sit up... Even though I feel like I've been ran over by a truck. How am I going to be able to continue my night work like this?

"Judging by your reaction, you do remember."

"Where is she?"

"Upstairs, Sir. She spent the night. And though I can't speak for the young woman... I do think she was genuinely worried about you."

Oh. Great. So I don't have time to prepare. Well that's just great. Not only is my identity compromised... But I can't hide from the inevitable aftermath, either. Part of me is beginning to wish the crash had killed me. Rubbing the space between my eyes with my good hand, I look down, thinking.

"Those police officers. They didn't want to arrest me. They had the full intention of murder.", I say, looking back up at him. "Is this what Gotham's really come to?"

Alfred frowns, a little.

"Not everything is of fairness, Master Bruce."

The corruption in this city is worse than I realised. The fact that they tried to kill me, and almost suceeded makes that apparent. And now they're looking for me for a crime I didn't commit. If they know I'm still alive. How could it have come to this? I started this with the best of intentions... How could so much go so wrong, this early? Confronted with this... Can I still combat them, even? Or am I finally beginning to agree with everyone else that I'm in way over my head?

I get up. Then stumble, a little. Alfred moves to help me, but I hold my hand up.

"I'm okay. Just a little sore."

He looks at me, for a moment.

"With all due respect... You could've died, last night. And I know you hate hearing this... I know you have little tolerance for pure concern, sir... But the effect that your willpower has over you, begs the question...", He begins, as I begin to walk a little. "How many more nights like the last will it take, before you realise... You're not invincible?"

I stop, for a moment, before turning back to him.

"I've always been fully aware of that, Alfred. And I still hate it.", I state, before heading up the stairs that lead to the Manor.

I know he means well. He always has... and I've never been able to express my gratitude in the right way. But I don't need to be reminded of my limitations. Especially when I'm limping up a flight of stairs. That... and it's the least of my worry, right now. Right now... I have to confront her. See how much damaged I caused, with my revealation last night.

I have to face the concequences of my actions.

* * *

I wal-... limp, into the study. I don't know what I'm going to say. What can I say? I've thrown her into a world she may not even fully understand. It was bad enough I recruited her as my contact within the DA's office... But... now she knows much more than she ever should've. Was it fair of me to bring that upon her? I sigh, a little, as I walk out to the hallway. Guess I'll be getting my answer soon enough.

I haven't made two steps by the time I see her, walking out of the living room. She pauses, catching a glimpse of me. I pause, aswell. For a moment... I'm not even sure if I'm actually awake. The silence is surreal. Like in the car, after I took off my cowl.

"You're... awake."

I nod.

"I am."

The silence begins again. Usually I enjoy it... but in this situation, it's of annoyance. I know it's not that easy for either of us to deal with... but this isn't going to get us anywhere.

"We have alot to talk about.", I begin.

"Bruce Wayne. You're... Bruce Wayne, right?"

I hesitate in nodding... But there's no denying it.

"Yes."

"And you're also Batman? The Batman... the only one? The one that came to me before?"

"...Yes."

She sighs.

"You're right. We do have a lot to talk about."

"Look, Miss Dawes... You have to understand, I didn't plan on-"

"Rachel."

I raise an eyebrow.

"Call me Rachel."

I nod, in response.

"Rachel... I know what I did... It wasn't the smartest thing to do."

"Neither was approaching a badly damaged battle tank... But I managed to do that without hesitation.", She says, as we walk into another room.

"I'm sorry."

She stops, looking at me.

"For putting you through this, I mean. It wasn't fair."

"Look, Mr. Wayne-"

"Bruce."

I look back at her.

"Call me Bruce."

"Okay, then. Bruce... I brought myself into this, remember?", She continues. "You didn't ask for me to come and pull you out of that thing, did you?"

"I didn't mean that."

She raises an eyebrow.

"I meant... telling you. Letting you see who I was... I shouldn't have brought you into my world, like this."

"What else could you have done? You were dying... I can understand why."

"That doesn't make it right."

"You're right."

I frown.

"It makes it nessacary. Do you honestly think that I'm angry that you took off the mask?"

"You're not?"

"Of course not. You trusted me with something that I'm sure alot of people don't know. Except the English guy, downstairs."

I smirk, a little.

"Alfred. I apologise for anything he may have done, last night. I know he can be... well, strict at times."

"On the contrary. He was quite the gentlemen... Given that his master was sitting in the passenger's seat of my car, bleeding to death.", She responds.

"... I am going to clean that up for you."

"No need. He already did."

I look away. I know there's something neither of us are saying. I don't know what... But it's causing another moment of silence. Damn it... I don't know what to say again. I've never been in situations like these before.

"Why?"

I turn my head back, looking at her.

"Why what?"

"Why this? Why would a man do this to himself? What you do out there... I mean, it's brave, don't get me wrong... But it's also-"

"Stupid. I know."

"I was going to say abnormal."

"It's both. I'm aware of it."

"Then why do you do it?"

I simply stare, for a moment. She knows enough. I shouldn't tell her anymore than I have to. And yet...

"Maybe because I'm crazy. Maybe because I'm stupid. Maybe because I'm brave, as you put it.", I say, sitting down at the coffee table. "Or maybe... It just needs to be done."

I look up at her.

"You saw what those cops almost did to me. You've probably witnessed the corruption in this city time and time again. This isn't a way for anyone to live, I admit... But neither is how Gotham is living. If I have to sacrifice everything to show that... So be it."

She sits down, slowly. Almost hesitant, given that she's in a virtual stranger's house, it seems.

"You care alot about this city."

I look over at a portrait of my parents, hanging near us. The emptimome of all that was good in the world... Even to this day. In my world, anyway.

"They did."

"I know about that. What happened to them, those years ago... I'm sorry."

I look at her. Not because she mentioned my parents death... But because when she said she was sorry... for some, strange reason I get the feeling that... She meant it. I shake my head.

"It's in the past. Or maybe it isn't. Maybe that's why I do this... So I can never let go.", I say, lowering my head.

"I don't believe that."

I look up, again.

"I don't think you're out for revenge. I think you just want to honor them. And... I think some part of you genuinely does care.", She continues, with somewhat of a smile. "Which is why you're not a killer."

I wonder about that. How does she know of my innocence? Nothing suggests that I didn't... Besides it being the truth, of course...

"You said you'd explain why you helped me..."

She sighs, a little. I can tell whatever she's about to say isn't easy.

"The minute the police report said that you and Harvey were spotted near the scene of the murder... You weren't my first suspect.", She starts. I raise an eyebrow. Dent was her friend... How could she think him of murder? "I know that sounds... well, bad... but Harvey wasn't always the calmest guy in the office. He had alot of rage issues... Things from his past that he never really talked about. Honestly... I wasn't surprised, when Vernon turned up dead. Especially if he had something to do with Gilda."

...

So Dent has been like this longer than anyone realises? That split personality of his... the one who lied to the police, and put me into this position... His second face... Like Two-Faces... It was all nothing but an extension of earlier rage? My god... if that's true... I may have never had a chance to save Dent. I look at Rachel, again, after realising I've become lost in my thoughts.

"Your friend isn't the same person you knew. Not the one that murder Vernon Fields.", I begin. "He's developed some sort of split personality... A dangerous one. And I know this is going to be hard for you to hear... But...", I say, narrowing my eyes. "...He may have already fallen past the point of a incureable state."

I can tell the words have effect, from her reaction. She lowers her head. I've... saddened her. I know I have... But I had to tell the truth. I couldn't just lie, Especially now. There wouldn't be a point to it.

"I... I understand."

I frown a little, aswell.

"I'm sorry."

She looks up at me, a little. She's not handling it well... But better than I thought.

"It's in the past."

I look away, hearing my own words. It's when I'm lost in my thoughts again that I realise... We're not so different. Almost like mirror images. Images of pain and tragedy, wrapped up in shells.

Shells of the past. A better one.

* * *

I sit infront of the television, listening to the report.

"-ven after the city's traumatic night of chaos comes to an end, Gothamites everywhere are left with scars. With a constuction site totatled, resulting in millions of dollars lost to the city's taxpayers, aswell as numerous other reports of building and vehicle damage, all of Gotham is wondering one thing: Who is to blame? Is it Gotham's finest, for their relentless, highly criticised high speed pursuit... Or is it the man they were persuing, known only to Gothamites as 'The Batman'? While reports of his demise seem to be surfacing among the top headlines of the city's news circuit, many still question it's certainty after no body was recovered, even in his destroyed getaway vehicle that the police uncovered. When trying to reach Commisioner Gillian Loeb for comment, she declined to appear on camera, but said that the city's mysterious vigilante is still a prime suspect in the death of-"

I've heard enough. That's all I can think, shutting it off. They still think me to be a murderer. Well... the half that believes me to be alive.

This has become... difficult. More than it needs to be. So much, that I'm left in yet another situation of which I don't know what to do. How can I prove my innocence? How can I show them that I was only trying to help? No one knows the truth... Except Harvey Dent. I have to bring him in. That's the only solution I can think of...

I turn, seeing Alfred in the doorway.

"I assume our guest has taken leave."

I nod.

"She went home. I think... she needs some time alone, after what I told her about her friend."

"Do you believe you can trust her with her newfound knowledge, then?"

I consider it, for a moment. She does know alot. But... After the talk, I feel reassured.

"I do.", I state. "It's a risk... But she seems willing to live with it. I guess there's no point in beating myself up over it."

"Quite."

I look over, noticing the papers in his hand. The report I told him to look into...

So... What did you manage to find?"

He walks forward, handing me the papers.

"I searched through the Gotham City Police Deparment's database, like you instructed... But they've yet to begin sending any information on your current case. The database had nothing... Except..."

I look at the piece of paper. My eyes widen. This... this can't be what I think it is.

"A list of suspects. Pertaining to your true identity."

I read the names. How could... No. There's no way.

Dent, Harvey
Koch, David
Bard, Jason
Wayne, Bruce
Wagner, Matthew
Loeb, Frank
Miller, James
Benes, Edward
Simone, Grell
Finger, Robert
Toth, Ollie

What did I do? How could I have gone wrong? Did I do something to tip it off? My guise... I haven't convinced? Then again... Considering I haven't been in public that much, as of late, I can see why. I look at the top. Dent's name is crossed out, it seems. At least they're convinced that I haven't fallen to that level of insanity.

I think about all of this. How can I prevent myself from becoming the top suspect, and maintain my identity? If they're convinced enough that I'm Batman... which... I am, but that's beside the point... They'll arrest me without question. And that's the last thing I need, right now. I just need some way of furthering my playboy guise... Something that will get people's attention. And not the wrong kind.

...

Wait. Something that'll get people's attention...

I'm reminded of Lex Luthor's yacht party, a few days ago. That gathered alot of attention. Maybe if I played into my jealousy front... Made it seem like I was trying to outdo him....

I turn to Alfred.

"Alfred. We're going to need invitations. Lots of invitations."

 

[Venom160]

[Two-Face]

"Stay still Mr. Dent the ambulance is on it way."

I try with all I might to keep from cracking a large smile, I can't believe it worked! Batman and Dent truely had me in a corner and I just used the first thing that came to mind. Speaking of Dent hes' been unusualy quiet sence Batman left.

<Whats wrong Dent? Didn't like how everything turned out?>

He doesnt say anything sp I leave him be. The ambulance pulls up and the EMPs start checking the wound, they put me on a stretcher and head to the hospital.

"Your lucky Mr. Dent, the knife isnt that deep at all. All you'll need is a few bandages."

One of the EMPs pulls the knife out and sets it on a tray beside me.

"Im really glad to hear this."

As quick as I can I grab the knife and ram it into the jaw of the EMP that just pulled it out, I could see glint of the blade in his mouth. I yank out the knife and attack the other, stabbing him in the stomach and yanking upward spilling his innards all over the the stretcher I was just laying on. The driver, hearing the noise coming from the back, turns to lookin the back.

"What the hell is going on back there....."

He sees me and the blood covered knife.

"Oh my god!"

I lunge forward and place the knife to his throat.

"Pull over now!"

He pulls the ambulance over and turns it off.

"Your not going to kill me are you?"

"Yes I am."

"Please show some mercy!"

"Im sorry thats a trait I don't possess."

I slit his throat and blood start pouring out like a fountain. I was about to kick open the back door but I stop in my tracks.

"Oh I this is too perfect!"

I bend down and dip my finger into one of the EMP's blood and draw a crude bat symbol onto the wall of the ambulance.

"Im no artist but I like it!"

I kick open the back door and walk out into the night.

 

[Green Lantern]

Allen ran to the nearest precinct and reported in. "Chief, he got away. I saved him from the explosion, and as payment he blasted me in the stomach with his flame thrower."

"No time to worry about that now Allen. We got another nutcase. He's attacking STAR Labs now. Holding the staff ransom, and has already killed four officers. Froze them solid. Kinda like that Freeze character up in Gotham. Says he'll start freezing a hostage an hour if we don't put 2 mil in his Swiss account."

"Oh great... nother freak to deal with. JOY. AND another having to do with the elements... whats next? Mr. Twister?!?"

Barry took off towards the Lab, and stopped at the barricade outside it. "What's the situation officers?"

"Its bad Barry. We've lost four already. Guy made them into ice sculptures. Hes calling himself Captain Cold."

"Any back entrances? Roof entrances?"

"I think there's a service entrance on the roof."

"Well, I'll use that. Wait here, and if I'm not back in ten minutes come in after me."

"Will do Flasher. Will do."

Barry stepped back and got a running start when he hit the wall, he ran straight up it. On the roof he opened the unlocked service door, and crept down the stairs. At the landing the saw a man in a light blue parka, holding a very shapely young blonde scientist in a white lab coat. The man spoke into a microphone.

"You pigs have three minutes or this pretty lady here meets the ice age. Say your name for the crowd hun."

He shoved the mic in the face of the girl. "...tuh tuh Tina... Tina McGee... please don't kill me."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

It was a hot and muggy Thursday night in Fort Lauderdale. The Green Iguana, a local tiki bar on the Fort Lauderdale strip, was packed with the usual tourists and it's usual group of local patrons.
One such patron sat in his usual seat, in his usual shadowy corner, drinking his usual glass of Jack Daniels on the rocks. Nobody else sat near him. Even the tourists who had no idea who he was gave him a wide berth.
Maybe is was the smell of sweat and booze that exuded from his pores that did it?
Or perhaps it was a simple telepathic maneuver to make everyone avoid him?

Whatever it was, J'onn J'onnz, the last Martian, had the privacy he sought. He was in his human guise, naturally, of former PI John Jones as he sat and drank his drink. His brown trench coat sat next to him in empty stool, the rest of his clothes, the dress shirt with the rolled up sleeve, the undone tie, and the cacky pants he was dressed in were actually part of his body.
Like all Martians, J'onn was a shapshifter of the highest order. So it was not difficult for him to mimic the appearance of the cliche' detective dress.

J'onn downed his drink, and called to the bar tender, "Denny, give me another."

"Right with you, Mr. Jones", replied Denny as he tended to a group of people out for a good time.
J'onn sighed. It had been a while since the Mars missions confirmed what he feared. That all his people were truly dead. It was a feeling he dealt with when he first arrived on the planet, but he was, eventually, able to overcome it. He created the human persona he now wore and walked among them, integrating himself into their society.
He had, in a spiritual sense, become one of them. But then the Mars missions were announced, and suddenly his hopes that his people survived returned. They were quickly dashed though, and J'onn found himself lost in a darkness he had not know in decades.
He knew he had to pull out of it...but part of him didn't want to. And, right now, that part was running the show.

"Here's your drink, Mr. Jones", said Denny as he placed another Jack Daniels on the rocks in front of him.

"Thanks, Denny", said J'onn as he took a sip and put the drink down, "put in on my tab."

"Will do."

J'onn hated to do that, use his telepathy, the birthright of his people, to make Denny agree with him, but he had no money to pay for the drink right now.
He was starting to regret getting out of the PI business.

-------------------

A few hours later, J'onn found himself walking home to his apartment. It was at least two in the morning and he was pretty hammered as he tried to keep himself steady and in human form. He must have polished off at least four bottles of bourbon tonight.
It took a lot for a Martian to get drunk off of Terran alcohol.

His thoughts continued to linger on his former people and his money problems when he senses the woman.
She was young, mid twenties, with baby blue eyes, rose red lips, a body to die for, and long blonde hair that glimmered beautifully in the moonlight.
By human standards she was drop dead gorgeous.

"Something I can do for you, miss", J'onn said as he turned to face the woman.
The woman was startled a bit, but she didn't let it show outwardly.
"Your that investigator, John Jones, aren't you?"

J'onn hesitated for a second as he scanned her surface thoughts. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and she seemed to genuinely want his help with something. He could have probed deeper, but J'onn still had his morals. He'd allow her to explain herself the way all humans do.

"Maybe...who wants to know?"

"My name is Sue...Sue Stacy. I...I need your help, Mr. Jones. Something's happened to my father."

She looked around the street as if waiting for some unseen assailant to burst from the shadows and attack, "But I can't discuss it here. I need to go some where we can talk privately."

J'onn sighed and nodded his head.
Well, he thought to himself, at least I will not have to worry about money problems for the time being.

"Very well, Ms. Stacy", said J'onn, "my office is just around the corner. We can continue this conversation there if you'd like."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

"It's safe to talk here, Ms. Stacey", said J'onn as he sat down in the chair behind the large desk in the back of his office, "you can trust me on that."

It had been some time since he came here, and it showed. Dust covered much of the furniture, and there were small trash cans filled with discarded paper and other bits of trash. It looked as though the entirety of his file cabinets had been cleaned out as well and stacked up on not only his desk, but on a few of the coffee tables as well.
There wasn't much light in the place either. The only thing that illuminated the room they were in was the light from the full moon beaming in through the large beachside window.

"Ok", replied Ms. Stacey, a bit of trepidation in her voice.

"You mentioned earlier that something happened to your father?"

"Yes", she answered in a calmer tone, "he was kidnapped from his home in Key Largo a week ago. Whoever did this were professionals. They left nothing for the police to find."

"What did your father do, Ms. Stacey", asked J'onn as he probed her mind for any hint of deceit.

"He was a former FBI chemist. He quit the bureau and retired to Key Largo ten years ago."

"Is there anyone that would hold a grudge against your father? Maybe someone he helped put away", asked J'onn as he put his feet up on the desk and leaned back in his chair. She was definitely not telling him the whole truth.
Of that he was certain.

"No. I mean, not that I know of. My dad never really talked too much about his work. He liked to keep his work and his family life as separate as possible."

"Did the kidnappers leave any kind of note? Have they made any kind of demands?"

"No, and that's what really scares me about this whole thing. He did have a good amount of money saved up for retirement, but nothing that would make him a target. At least, not that I think."

J'onn sat in his chair and stared into Ms. Stacy's eyes as he went over what she has told him. Something was definitely amiss here. He knew she was lying to him, keeping things from him, but he could not pull the truth from her mind. It was as though her thoughts were concealed by a thick cloud of mist and always just out of his reach.
Whoever she was, she had training in dealing with a telepath, which did not bode well for J'onn.
It meant that someone knew about him.
The real him.

He had no choice but to take the case to find out how much they knew about him, and just who "they" were.

"Very well, Ms. Stacy", said J'onn as he sat up in his chair and leaned on the desk top, "I'll find your missing father for you."

Her face brightened considerably upon hearing his words, "Thank you, Mr. Jones. You have no idea how much this means to me. Now...how much do I owe you for this?"

J'onn paused for a second before answering as he thought about his current financial situation. He owed at least fifteen-hundred right now, so...
"I'll need two-grand up front. The rest depends on how difficult it is to solve this case."

"And if you can't find my father?"

"You don't have to worry about that, Ms. Stacey", replied J'onn as he stood up from his seat, "but, if by some chance I can't find him, you get your money back."

"Don't worry though", continued J'onn as he saw a bit a worry creep on to her face from his words of possible failure, "I've never failed a client yet, and I'm not going to start now."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Key Largo, FL ~ Friday ~1:45 AM

J'onn, in his John Jones persona, walked through the little shack that belonged to Sue Stacy's kidnapped father, George.
It was a nice little home that rested on the edge of a small cove surrounded by palm trees and other tropical flora. A nice secluded hide-away where a man might live out his retirement in peace and quiet.

The place had not been ransacked, so the culprits obviously weren't looking for anything in particular. Something still didn't sit right with J'onn. It was probably the fact that this Sue Stacy was not entirely what she seemed to be. She had somehow been able to avoid his psychic probe in his office last night. Whether she accomplished this by technological means or by rigorous mental training did not matter to J'onn. The fact that she was prepared for telepathic intrusions led him to believe that his cover was blown. And that worried him immensely.

Still, the best way to go about getting who she worked for to show themselves was to go about business as usual. And that meant approaching this case as he would any other. He'd just be extra careful is all.

Moving around the outside of the house, J'onn was unable to discover any piece of evidence that might help him. The way the kidnappers entered the home, any boot prints they left in the sand would be washed away from the surf. There was nothing that he could use to get an idea of just who these people were.

And then he saw it. A dog house.

Grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, John Jones dialed a number.

"Yes, this is Private Investigator John Jones...yes, the very same. Look, I'm working the Stacy kidnapping case and I need any information you might have on a dog George Stacy had."

"Uh-huh..."

"Black Lab named Nate...taken to the Upper Keys Humane Society. You got an address?"

"Great, thanks."

J'onn hung up the phone and placed it back in the pocket of his trench coat. Giving one last look around the house, J'onn went back to his vehicle, a old 95' forest green Ford Taurus, and left the scene of the crime. He headed down the dirt road and back to the highway towards the Humane Society location.

He had a witness to speak to.

 

[Trigger]

Deep, inside the fiery depths of Hell Neron sat upon his throne of bones and watched his fellow occupants wail and writher in pain. The rotten, but still fleshy bodies covered his palace of stone. He leaned on one elbow and watched them with mild amusement, but watching a smoker ignite in flames was only fun the first 666 times.
Neron let out a small cough, and stretched a bit. A sudden burning sensation in his chest alerted him to a rather demonic invocation.


“Eh?”

With a flick of his wrist Neron summoned to his side a mirror, and looking into it, found his latest servant was currently trying to tear him from this dimension into the world of the living.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Oh…my god!” Don cried as he watched the wound in his torso slowly bled on to the strange symbol painted on Jason’s floor.

Conner struggled against the force pinning him to the ceiling, but it felt futile. The thought of Don dying was distressing, but the idea of meeting his maker in a dirty New Orleans apartment was even scarier.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Neron stared at the skinny tattooed man in mild amusement. Did he think he was strong enough to complete the ritual intact? Or did he not read the fine print on whatever scroll he read the spell off of? It didn’t matter. Being trapped inside hell wasn’t very fun at all.

A huge vortex appeared in the fiery red sky of hell. The agonized occupants stretched their arms outward towards the light. Neron watched in mild amusement.

“Don’t fool yourselves, it isn’t Him. Someone is trying to summon my strength, again.”

A red aura of pure mystical energy began to envelop Neron. He rolled his eyes in an annoyed manner, but made no move to stop the process.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Arrghh!”

Jason slowly drifted back on to the floor and grasped his head in his hands. Still pinned to the ceiling, John made another effort to reason with the crazed Brit.

“Jason! You have to stop now! Do you actually know what Neron does?”

Jason stared up at John with bulging red eyes.

“I kNow wHAt I’m dOIng!” he howled in a strangely inhuman voice.

“No, you don’t, and that’s why you’re about to die!”

The tattoos on Jason’ skin began to crawl and creep across Jason’s body. He began to hunch over and make pained growling noises. Conner’s skin crawled just watching it.

“John what is he doing?!”

“He thinks he’s about to gain the strength of a demonic prince!”

“What!” Don and Conner cried in unison.

“Don’t worry, that idiot is only going to fail! Isn’t that right Jason?! ” John screamed more at Jason than the boys.

Jason trembled as he tried to stand and argue, but a strange red aura began to envelop him.

“I’M not gOINg to FaIL!” Jason cried out.

The aura began to get more and more dense, so thick it had become, that Conner was starting to loose sight of Jason. The pungent and suffocating smell of brimstone and smoke filled Conner’s nostrils and overwhelmed his senses.

“Yes, yes you are lad, but you wouldn’t know why because you, once again, rushed haphazardly into a situation!”

“Huh?”

“Neron is a demon prince of hell! Do you really think he’d just let someone use part of his power?”

“I-”

A huge vortex of swirling energy discharged from Jason’s eyes, mouth, and ears. He grasped his throat and let out a terrible wail. If Conner hadn’t wet himself when Don was stabbed, he had now.

 

[Batman]

IC: Batman

"Wayne Manor."

"Hi... Alfred? Is that your name?"

"Indeed. And I assume this is Miss Dawes, from yesterday?"

"Good memory. Would Bruce happen to be there?"

"I'm... afraid that Master Wayne isn't in right now."

"...What?"

"He seems to have taken leave. With... a certain attire, I might add."

"..."

"The man has two fractured ribs. His arm is in a cast. His forehead has stitches in it. Not to mention he just barely survived an explosive car crash less than fourty eight hours ago."

"...What could he possibly hope to gain by going back out there?"

I couldn't do it. I tried... God knows I tried... But in the end, I just couldn't. Alfred will worry sick. I can only hope Rachel doesn't find out. But I just couldn't will myself to stay out of action. Not in Gotham's current condition. It's condition being that three madmen are on the loose in a city of a violent, ruthless police force.

The first one, I've shamefully developed a personal vendetta against. Harvey Dent... Gotham's former District Attorney gone mad. And that's only being considerate. He's framed me for a murder that I witnessed him commit. Now, I sulk deeper into the shadows, due to the possibility of being apprehended by Gotham's corrupt police force. For that alone, I want to bring him in. For the danger and threat he possesses to Gotham's people, with his dangerous split personality... I need to bring him in.

The second, Victor Fries. I thought I had made a breakthrough, reasoning with him during his attack on WayneTech. My theory proved false, once I was alerted of his escape from Arkham Asylum. Given his technologically advanced weaponry, and his obvious thurst for vengeance caused by the death of his wife... His capture, again, becomes priority.

The third, I've never met. But heard plenty about. The Laughing Killer, as he's described, due to the condition of his first victim... Mobster Chuckie Sol. Eternally scarred by what the police report I read can only deem as a 'permanent state of grin'. His face is frozen in a smile. The why and how are still left to debate... But the killer has yet to be apprehended. I'm taking him down. Before he can put any other pedestrians in that state.

Part of me is out to capture them to protect Gotham. Another part... a newly developed point of view... is out to capture them to protect them. I saw what lengths the police force are willing to go in order to apprehend their targets. I fear that, due to that, if I left the three for the police... they wouldn't have to answer to the proper justice. And I can't sit by and watch that. Even if my ribs do ache, and my arm is limited in mobility.

I stand, ignoring the pain. From the police report earlier, it seems my status among the living is up to interpretation. Perhaps I could use this to my advantage, for the time being. But for now, I need to check in on my dealings within the city. If I'm to bring down the corruption, even within the police department, I need information. I need help. I need...

I need The Police Captain. James Gordon. Former, and hopefully current, ally of The Batman.

* * *

I monitor the rooftop. If I've correctly memorised Gordon's nightly routine, He should be there any minute to smoke his annual nightly cigarette, inbetween filing reports. The image that the police department has made of me... One of an insane murderer... It leaves question to whether or not our allieance still stands. I know Gordon only agreed under the condition that I'd never take a life. And while I'm innocent... I've yet to be able to prove that. Needless to say, I'm a bit cautious when I finally do spot Gordon. In an absolute best case sceneario... He'll believe me. In the worst... I rot in a cell at Arkham, or become a fugitive.

I leap forward, landing on the ledge behind him as he lights his cigarette.

"Busy?"

He immediately spins, reaching for the gun in his holster. For a second, I fully believe he has the intention of arrest. But then, he does something I only half expect. He eases, when he sees me.

"Good god, You scared the hell out of me...", He says, putting the gun back in.

"Figured you'd be used to it by now."

"Guess I should've. Especially considering I knew you were alive. You had to be... There was no body, no eyewitness account... Nothing proving that you were dead."

"But you didn't know for sure."

"No. I didn't. I've been known to make the wrong assumptions before... But, so have they."

I step down from the ledge. I don't know whether I should trust him, under the circumstances.

"Though I can tell from your limp... You're not doing too well anyway."

"It's nothing. I've been treated."

"Glad to hear it. Though I'm still questioning why you came. Everyone is looking for you, at this point."

"I'm not about to let that stop me. Gotham is still in need."

"Yeah. But you're not going to be much use to Gotham if they find you."

"That's nothing to worry about. Unless you know something I don't."

I can tell, by his look... He does.

"As a matter of fact..."

He pulls something from his pocket. The piece of paper, with the list of suspects pertaining to my identity. I take it, looking at it as if I've never seen it before.

"And that isn't all. They're stepping up their investigation. Commisioner Loeb has been talking about issuing a task force of our best officers out for your immediate capture. They've got every officer in the city on the lookout at some of your spotted sighting areas... The east end, the docks... everywhere. When I said everyone is looking for you, I meant it."

I look up at him, silent. I had no idea I had become such a priority.

"You may catch a break, if you stay out of sight for the next few days. No one is even sure if you're still alive... If you're not sighted, that odds of them dropping the investigation may shift in your favor."

I look away. Staying out of action for a few days... I'm not sure I'd be able to handle it. Especially if tonight is any testament to that.

"I'll keep it under advisement. But that's not the issue, here."

I turn to him, again.

"Harvey Dent is still on the streets."

Gordon shakes his head.

"Harvey Dent... the man I knew, at least... is dead. Whoever's running around out there now isn't him. Especially considering he's the one who murdered Fields."

I raise an eyebrow.

"You knew?"

"After what he did last night, I'm surprised no one else made the connection."

"Last night?"

"Killed two paramedics. And... if you didn't know, you're not going to like this, but...", He explains, pulling out something else from his pocket...

A photograph. He hands it to me, hesitant. I look. And immediatley regret doing so. It's some warped version of the symbol on my chest plate... written in blood. I crumple the picture in my hand, in anger.

"Did that to the wall of the hospital van, before he made his escape."

It doesn't take the world's greatest detective to realise that it was a message towards me. Dent's psyche has obviously grown worse... It's as if he enjoys the thrill of murder, now. I look back up at Gordon.

"He has to be stopped."

"I know. And I'm hoping you can help, once you're cleared of the charge. Given what I saw last night, from their brutality towards you... I can't entrust the department with Two-Face's capture anymore. You're the only one I can trust."

I nod.

"I understand. Wait. Two-Face?"

"It's what they're calling him now. With the scarred side of his face, and all..."

That, and taking his split personality into consideration...

"...It fits. Believe me."

With the development of Dent's escape from custody, and the crude 'message' he sent to me... I can't help but wonder if I'm nearing the end of the madness within the city's underworld... Or merely the beginning. Dent isn't the only one... And I doubt he'll be the last. I didn't train for this... I trained for everything else. A criminal that acted out of desperation, or cowardice... One with an actual sense of sanity. But not this. I don't think any of the people I trained with could've predicted this form of evil... Therefore, I'm left unprepared. And that feeling sends a chill down my spine. For the moment. Until I realise that in order to focus, I can't let that chill run further.

I stand, walking to the ledge.

"If Den- ...Two-Face is still out there, He's a danger to everyone in the city, including himself. I've witnessed his capability. And I didn't like what I saw."

Gordon advances, making me pause.

"You're in no condition to take him down. Not now, at least."

I look away.

"Look... I know you want to help. We need your help... But given what he did to those paramedics, He'll tear you apart. What I'm asking of you is to go home... Or wherever you dwell, and wait a few days. With the department out on the streets, I doubt Two-Face will call attention to himself. And neither should you."

I turn my head, slightly. His plead is sincere. Why it is, I don't know.

"Why the concern?"

"Honestly? Because you're still the only one to lift a finger to save this city."

I think of my other allies... Rachel Dawes and Dinah Lance.

"I'm not the only one."

"Fair enough. But you're the only one to lift a finger to save this city... and provide results in doing so. No one's ever defended the people of this city like you have. Please, I'm asking... for their good, take some time off. Recooperate. Prepare yourself for the worst. Then focus on Two-Face again."

I listen to his words. They make sense... But beyond that, they actually come in complete stark-opposition into what I was planning. Yet, I find myself actually considering them. Gordon may be right... He knows this city, and the man Two-Face was well enough to have an impact on my decision to go after him.

I turn, facing Gotham, preparing myself for the drop from the ledge.

"Like I said. I'll keep it under advisement."

"You do that. And also... one other thing."

I turn, watching as he holds up the list of potential suspects to my identity. Then... He does something I actually never expected. He takes the cigarette lighter in his other hand, and sets it aflame, letting it drop to his feet as it burns itself into ash. I don't quite know what to say.

"Now I don't know how accurate that list was. Maybe you were on it. Maybe you weren't. But I don't care. Because in the end... I don't think it's who you really are that matters. It's what you're doing.", He says, before lighting his cigarette. "Keep on it. Cause we sure as hell need it."

I nod, a little, before turning again. Nothing else needs to be said, at this point. I leap from the rooftop's edge, planning something that I never thought I'd plan, this early. My return home. I guess... in the end... All I needed was a voice of reason to tell me to do that.

Now, though... comes the more daunting task. One more difficult than finding and attempting to capture any of the city's criminals. Planning a gala.

May god help me...

 

[Watchman]

Time to meet the team...

12:36 a.m, London England- A loud knock on the door wakes up Evan McCulloch from sleep. He grabs one of his pistols and heads for the door. He looks through the peep hole finding a man with black hair standing there. He opens the door.

"Manchester Black how can I help you mate"

"Check your e-mails we are going on a trip"

"How do you know?" Black taps his head

"I always know" Evan went over to his computer and clicked on his e-mail. One e-mail came up, Planning a trip to America watch for these attractions. Instructions for a new mission. Black hands Evan his cellphone.

"So your going to call Swift first. Never really liked that bloke always acted like he had something up his ***" Mirror Master makes his first phone call to Richard Swift, the agent known as The Shade.

"Hey...Shade....Yeah we've been called in....meeting as the usual place...bring the cane" he hung up on him.

"Time for the junkie and the brute" Black said going through the fridge. Again Evan dialed numbers on his cellphone.

The Magic Mirrior NightClub- Up in the VIP room sits two unusual figures. One a midget wearing a queer suit with a very large hat. He sat on a couch smoking out of a hooka. The other, sitting right next to him was a very large fella. Standing about seven feet and ten inches tall and very muscular. Jervis Tetch, The Mad Hatter and Roland Desmond, Blockbuster.

"Hehehe" the Mad Hatter put the hooka down a grabbed a tea cup. He stumbled over to a table nearby and smashed the tea cup over a man's head.

"What the?!..."

"No room No room!" Tetch shouted. Other men got up to confront Jervis. Behind the Mad Hatter Blockbuster stood.

"No my friend I believe I can handle this one"

"Oh what can you little **** do?" the Mad Hatter held up his two glove hands

"This" electricity came from his hands shocking two of the men in the room. A cellphone rang in Mad Hatter's pocket. He looked up to the other men and smiled, "Beware the jabberwocky" as Blockbuster fist met another man's face.

"Oh I see...Desmond we must take leave we are late for a very important date" a small ball shot out of his hat which filled the room with smoke. Evan flipped the phone closed and put on his boats. He put on a black trenchcoat and took out a pair of sunglasses which had a green and orange tinted lens. Black was combing his hair in the mirror when all of a sudden Mirror Master showed up, inside the mirror.

"Ok laddy time to get going. We have a plane to catch looks like we're going to America."

 

[Venom160]

{Harvey Dent}

I lay in a dark dank alley, tears rolling down my face, the 22. in my hand. Iv done what I set out to do, I avenged Gilda and myself but it doesnt feel like I thought it would be. If anything it just made the pain even worse, how would you feel finding out your wife was so unhappy with you that she would go to another man. I can't take this anymore! Its time to end this. I leave a single bullet in the chamber and stick the gun barrel in my mouth, I slowly start to squeeze the trigger only to have my other hand grab my wrist and yank the gun back out.

"What do you think your doing Dent."

"It has to end, I can't take this anymore."

"Thats just to bad, cause now we have a new goal. We're going to take down the Batman."

"Why?! He was going to help us until you f**ked it all up!"

"Don't give me this us s**t! You wanted the help im fine as is!"

"Well good for you, im glad your happy with yourself! But I can't handle this!"

I try to bring the gun back to my mouth but my other hand prevents me again.

"Drop the gun Dent."

"F**k you."

"Dent am I going to have to break this arm to make you drop the gun."

The other hand starts to tighten its grip on my wrist.

"Argh!"

I drop the gun at my feet.

"Good boy, now we need to start planning."

"Wait a second."

"What?"

"If im going to go alone with this you need to agree on one thing."

"And that would be?"

"I get two hours of peace every night to do what I please. No interuptions, not a single word from you."

"That sounds fair enough."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

"It is all right", said J'onn as he approached the black labrador, Nate, who was locked in a fenced in pen. He was still in his human guise as to not completely frighten the dog, but, to be safe, he sent out a general telepathic wave of energy to calm all the animals in the building.
The facility was still closed down and would not open for another few hours, but that didn't stop J'onn. Using the powers of his Martian heritage, J'onn easily passed through the walls of the complex undetected via his intangibility and invisibility.

Being one of the most powerful Martian telepaths also made it simple to locate the animal with memories of it's missing master.
Whenever he moved into a different room, J'onn made sure to take out the cameras by simply passing his phased hand through them to disrupt the curcuitry inside them.

When he was sure he was sure the room was secure, J'onn made his presense known to the animal by becoming visible and tangible once again.

Once the dog was calm J'onn entered it's mind.
Primitive thoughts filled his head at first...thoughts of hunger and a dislike of the food the shelter had been providing for the dogs. Most prevailent was the feeling of fear and loneliness. Nate missed his master, George, terribly, and was frightened of this new and cold place he was in.
J'onn felt sorry for the animal, but he put those feelings aside and dug deeper...deeper into the dogs memories.
J'onn saw, through the eyes of the dog, George and he was holding a stick. they were playing fetch on the beach outside their home. Happiness washed over J'onn as he called up this memory.

J'onn dug deeper still...and came to the night of the kidnapping. Men in black jump suits coming from the beach on a rubber raft...well organized...advanced weaponry...the dog/J'onn's afraid, but he attacks anyway. Nate defends his master and his home as best as he can, but it is all for not. The dog/J'onn bites one of them on the forearm, puncturing his skin, but not doing enough damage to stop him. They take his master away, a black bag over his head...hands tied behind his back.
A quick rifle butt to the head of Nate sends feelings of immense pain washing over J'onn. The man with the hurt arm aims the gun at Nate/J'onn's head...his partner stops him though. Blackness begins to take hold of him, but he catches something before Nate passes into unconsciousness. One of them says something...
"Never mind the mutt. We got what we came for, so we head back to the cay. Now."

"...Right...", replies the man as he holsters his weapon and runs off....and then darkness.

J'onn snaps back to reality and takes a step back, taking in all that he just witnessed. He looked down on the dog, pity in his eyes.
"I'm sorry..."

With that, J'onn turned around and departed the shelter. The man spoke of a cay, and, with the boat they used, it could not be far from George Stacy's house. Still, it was a lot of ground to cover...at least a fifty mile radius. It would be difficult for any man to find.

Luckily though, J'onn was not a man...

 

[Byrd Man]

"Ladies and Getlemen, If you could take your seats, will begin."

The confrence room at Reynold Air Force Base was packed with reporters and cameras from every news outlets in America.

"Now with out further ado let me introudce the man who put it all together, General Wade Eiling."

outstepped a tall, lean, bald haired man. He approached the microphone with a smile

"Thank you Sargent Drake, We have brought you today to show you something that will change the future, with the emergence of the so called "meta humans" the United States Goverment felt it was nessecary to throw out hat in the ring, before we unvieal our big surprise, I would like to thank all the people who made this possible, The scientist involved, the Air Force for there generous funding, and of course Captain Nate Adam now with out ado I present to you, the nation, and the whole world the newest hero......Captain Atom."

The curtain behind Eiling rises and in a flash of light, he appears

"Hello everyone, I'm Captain Atom. I will protect America, as well as the world from whoever tries to do evil things now, any questions?

He stepped up to the podium and flashed a smile to the flabbergasted crowd.

 

[Byrd Man]

"Ladies and Getlemen, If you could take your seats, will begin."

The confrence room at Reynold Air Force Base was packed with reporters and cameras from every news outlets in America.

"Now with out further ado let me introudce the man who put it all together, General Wade Eiling."

outstepped a tall, lean, bald haired man. He approached the microphone with a smile

"Thank you Sargent Drake, We have brought you today to show you something that will change the future, with the emergence of the so called "meta humans" the United States Goverment felt it was nessecary to throw out hat in the ring, before we unvieal our big surprise, I would like to thank all the people who made this possible, The scientist involved, the Air Force for there generous funding, and of course Captain Nate Adam now with out ado I present to you, the nation, and the whole world the newest hero......Captain Atom."

The curtain behind Eiling rises and in a flash of light, he appears

"Hello everyone, I'm Captain Atom. I will protect America, as well as the world from whoever tries to do evil things now, any questions?

He stepped up to the podium and flashed a smile to the flabbergasted crowd.

Two Days Later

"Just one more take Captain Atom."

Nate rolled his eyes, he had been doing photo shoots and PSA's for the past two days

"So Wade, when do I actually see some action?"

General Eiling took a drag off his cigar and looked at Nate

"Listen Nate, your not only protecting america, your going to be a rolemodel to millions of children out there, you need to get your face out there so, one more take then we get down to buisness."

Nate nodded as the director called his attention

"Rolling....and....action!"

Nate turned his focus toward the camera and smiled

"Hi, This is Captain Atom telling you that only fools drop out of school. don't be a fool, stay in school."

He smiled and flashed a thumbs-up.

"Okay cut, that's a wrap folks."


Three hours later, Over Coastal City Airspace

The cargo bay of the C-14 bounced Nate and Wade like socks in a dryer, Wade was hollering over the engines loud drone

"WHEN THE GREEN LIGHT FLASHES YOU WILL JUMP OUT OF THE CARGO HOLD AND FLY TO COASTAL CITY'S WILLIAMS PARK, THERE YOU WILL FIND AGENT METAMORPHO, DISPATCH HIM QUICKLY AND NOISELY!"

Nate nodded and yelled back

"DO YOU HAVE ME HOOKED UP?!"

General Eiling pointed towards the cockpit

"WILL BE MONITORING YOU FROM IN THERE."

The green light flashed on and the cargo bay slowly opened

"GOOD LUCK."

Atom stood up and ran out the back of the plane, swan diving downwards toward the earth, He slowly pulled up and was hovering in the air at 25,000 feet

"Nate, this is General Eiling, broadcasting to you in the plane. We have audio and optic feeds, as well as over a hundred raw satillite feeds, It pays to be the goverment eh?"

"Right you are, so where is Metamorpho?"

He is enroute to Williams Park and will be under orders to ransack it until your arrival, When you arrive It won't take much for him to go down. Better not this guy is getting paid triple overtime to pull this, make it look good Nate."

"That I will General."

He streaked off into the cloudy midday sky towards the looming buildings of Coastal City

 

[Byrd Man]

Two Days Later

"Just one more take Captain Atom."

Nate rolled his eyes, he had been doing photo shoots and PSA's for the past two days

"So Wade, when do I actually see some action?"

General Eiling took a drag off his cigar and looked at Nate

"Listen Nate, your not only protecting america, your going to be a rolemodel to millions of children out there, you need to get your face out there so, one more take then we get down to buisness."

Nate nodded as the director called his attention

"Rolling....and....action!"

Nate turned his focus toward the camera and smiled

"Hi, This is Captain Atom telling you that only fools drop out of school. don't be a fool, stay in school."

He smiled and flashed a thumbs-up.

"Okay cut, that's a wrap folks."


Three hours later, Over Coastal City Airspace

The cargo bay of the C-14 bounced Nate and Wade like socks in a dryer, Wade was hollering over the engines loud drone

"WHEN THE GREEN LIGHT FLASHES YOU WILL JUMP OUT OF THE CARGO HOLD AND FLY TO COASTAL CITY'S WILLIAMS PARK, THERE YOU WILL FIND AGENT METAMORPHO, DISPATCH HIM QUICKLY AND NOISELY!"

Nate nodded and yelled back

"DO YOU HAVE ME HOOKED UP?!"

General Eiling pointed towards the cockpit

"WILL BE MONITORING YOU FROM IN THERE."

The green light flashed on and the cargo bay slowly opened

"GOOD LUCK."

Atom stood up and ran out the back of the plane, swan diving downwards toward the earth, He slowly pulled up and was hovering in the air at 25,000 feet

"Nate, this is General Eiling, broadcasting to you in the plane. We have audio and optic feeds, as well as over a hundred raw satillite feeds, It pays to be the goverment eh?"

"Right you are, so where is Metamorpho?"

He is enroute to Williams Park and will be under orders to ransack it until your arrival, When you arrive It won't take much for him to go down. Better not this guy is getting paid triple overtime to pull this, make it look good Nate."

"That I will General."

He streaked off into the cloudy midday sky towards the looming buildings of Coastal City

Williams Park, Coastal City CA

It was family day at Williams Park in Coastal City, children where playing while mothers watched nervously, A man walked down the sidewalk in a treanchcoat and fedora, he threw it off to reveal a deformed man, Metamorpho

"Nobody move and this will all just go quietly, Now give me all your jewels and cash and I won't resort to violence."


"Not so fast buddy."

A silver streak darted out of the sky and tackled Metamorpho to the ground. Metamorpho threw him off and sent a wave of water, sending Captain Atom back into a gazebo. He got up grogedly and shook the cobwebs from his head.

"Nate, Take it to him."

Eiling's voice rings through his ears as he focuses on Metamorpho

"Let me ask you a question pal, Original recipe or extra crispy?"

The blast of radiation vaporizes Metamorpho into steam.

The crowd starts to applaude and strategicaly placed photographers snap off shots of Atom saluting and flying off into the air.

"Good job Nate, we got something we can run on the news at six."

Two blocks down from Williams Park a puddle of water forms and shifts and shapes back into the form of Metamorpho.

"There Eiling,Just like I promised,Now can I have my money?"

 

[Johnny Blaze]

J'onn flew over the water of the Atlantic as he searched telepathically for any signs that would point him in the direction of these kidnappers. As he scanned the area mentally, J'onn made sure to fly low, just a few feet above the water, to avoid any detection via radar.

He had been searching for an hour now with no luck. So far he's come across two fishing boats, a young married couple on a sail boat, and a large pod of bottlenose porpoise rounding up mackerel.

Nothing that called for him to investigate.

He was seriously considering giving up his search when he came across a group of minds that seemed...out of place to him. He probed deeper, but was unable to read anything more than surface thoughts. When he tried to pick up more, he simply got the same cloudy barrier that he had found before in the mind of Sue Stacy.

That was enough of a reason for J'onn to investigate the situation.
Thanks to his enhanced Martian vision, as he turned East and got closer to where the mysterious people were located he noticed something a few miles away in the moonlight.

A small island.
This had to be the cay.

J'onn approached the island silently and invisible as he did not want to alert anyone to his presence. Touching down J'onn looked around the small island. It had to be one of the largest cays in the area, yet it was not on any map.

Strange indeed.

But, J'onn did not have time to dwell on this fact as a dozen defense turrets shot out of the sand and opened fire.

 

[Batman]

IC: Bruce Wayne

I hate this already. And the gala isn't even here yet.

I sit before a list of possibles, crossing out who would and wouldn't be beneficial to the cause, aswell as who to not invite incase of suspicion. Gotham's elite travel in certain circles... Certain crowds appeal to certain people. To invite completely random guests would bring the wrong attention. Usually I'd keep the guestlist strictly to Gotham, but if I want to attract attention... as Alfred would put it, "One who secludes himself to one crowd only gains that crowd's attention." And if I want to display myself to as many people as possible... That isn't an option.

The first choices were obvious. Various people tied to both my company and myself, firstly being Lucius Fox, head of development and assistant to Bruce Wayne. Some board members here, some employees there, and I had a rough idea of what the gala was going to be like. And I hated it more.

So, I went with more personal choices from there. Lex Luthor, an old rival of mine from Metropolis, seemed to be more fitting for my ideals in planning this. Though I believe his actions within his own company, aswell as towards mine to be... questionable, He does attract the right amount of attention. And I can already see the headlines of the supposed 'clash of fellow leading CEO' melodrama that they'll no doubt be expecting.

My second choice, I was a bit reluctant. But I owe the man, in part. And due to his ties out of the country, an appearance in America would no doubt bring press. Thomas Blake. One of my teachers, during my journeys away from Gotham. Though I still think him to be one of my more... odd instructors, he is possibly the reason I took on battling corruption in the manner that I did. He taught me how to hunt... How to track my 'prey', within what he reffered to as a concrete jungle. Because of him, Batman exists. I consider my invitation to America... to my home, as a token of my gratitude. I can only pray, for both of our sakes, that he does not bring our troubled pasts to attention...

My third, even more reluctant than the second. Invesitigator Dinah Lance... one of my allies in the 'team' I've managed to create. While I realise this could potentially let her onto my identity... That's not going to be my intent. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm going to invite her as an associate of Bruce Wayne... not Batman. We've met in both circumstances, giving me the perfect alibi: Bruce Wayne is interested in an attractive young investigator. Given my reputation... It shouldn't be hard to convince. To further the guise, I've also invited her future sister-in-law, and brother... so as to vague the suspicion on her part.

As I delved more into the 'planning', I began to realise I was making it too personal. I had to widen the scope of the event... This wasn't a family reunion. For that, I turned to various gossip magazines, rumor mills... anything that attracted the attention of the mainstream media.

In it, I found my next guest. A person who claims he can travel at the speed of light. Whether what he claims is true or not, everyone was talking about him. "The Flash". Barry Allen, a native of Keystone City. And unlike me and my alternate persona... I see in Allen what I could never be. Outgoing with my true nature. The moment he hit the newswaves, he made himself public. Willingly unmasked infront of the world. I sometimes have wondered what it would be like for me to do the same... But then again, Allen may not have family members... Loved ones put in the same danger as mine would. In any case... he was just what I needed for this.

Something else I needed was an alternative. A man who could travel the speed of light was indeed something of a spectacle... But when I came across an article in TIME, I knew what I had found. Something to rival that spectacle. He was the goverment's newest defense agent... A living, breathing power unit supposedly compared to an atom bomb. It was no surprise that he was dubbed 'Captain Atom', after that thought crossed. While inviting the military was the last thing I wanted to do... I didn't want them meddling in my affairs. What better way to lead them off the trail than to convince them I had nothing to hide? Needless to say, the name 'Captain Atom' soon found it's way onto the list.

From there, I stumbled upon an article from Star City, profiling a certain billionaire playboy from the area. In some ways, he reminded me of myself. In others, he didn't. But beyond that, he was another headline grabbing celebrity. Therefore, he made the list. Roy Harper. The 'Prince' of Star City. For a moment, I actually contemplated if he, like me, led a life behind closed doors. But considering I know many like him that... well, don't, I left my suspicions behind. I'll worry about that when it becomes nessacary. If at all.

Just when I thought I was running out of people, I managed to find an issue of The Daily Planet. Of course, Luthor had already been on the cover, under some sighting of some sort. I forget that headline. Something about a flying man. Or a blue blur. Maybe both... I honestly couldn't care less. But The Daily Planet, however, did manage to pique my intrest. It was the top newspaper in the country... maybe even the world. Whoeever owned it had to be very wealthy, to say the least. So, I decided to mark down the Editor and Chief. Even managed to put a blurb about allowing two reporters of his choice to tag along, for the press matter.

Add to that a few more of the local higher society, among them a certain Oswald Cobblepot... Who I knew to be quite the celebrity in Gotham besides me, and I had my partygoers. Writing them down, I handed the list to Alfred, as soon as he walked by.

"The invitations are to be sent to these people. I've already tracked down their individual mailing addresses."

"I'll be sure to alert the masses, Sir.", He quips, eyeing the list. I raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"It is quite... small, don't you think?"

"It has some of the top headliners in the country on it. It's more than enough, now that I think about it."

"Ah. Very good then. Though..."

I give out a frustrated sigh.

"You have suggestions?"

"Well, I do have an old associate that once aided you in a certain incident involving an intoxicated Vicki Vale."

I look up at him, remembering. Leslie Thompkins... A freelancer in the medical field, on Gotham's east end. I do still owe her a debt of gratitude...

"Add her."

"I do believe that to be the wise choice, Master Bruce."

I nod, before getting back to some Wayne Enterprises documents. A few minutes pass, before I notice Alfred is still there.

"..."

"Someone else?"

"Though it isn't any of my buisness..."

It probably isn't.

"...But I seem to recall a young woman in here, the other day. One near your age. And while Bruce Wayne does have the reputation of being somewhat of... quite honestly, a pig... I was thinking this time you'd want to have a date."

I raise an eyebrow. It definatley isn't any of his buisness.

"Young woman...", I say to myself, before the realisation hits me. "Rachel."

"And here I was beginning to think she had slipped your mind entirely."

I shake my head.

"Never mix buisness and pleasure, Alfred. Any good buisnessman knows that."

"Besides you being a 'good buisnessman' still being debateable... I seem to recall a certain interview that you refferred to as 'buisness', Sir."

I look at him. He's... well, got me there. But not Rachel. She's... an informant. And possibly even a confident, now that she knows my true identity. But a romantic status with her, or anyone isn't something I'm seeking, at the moment. Especially considering the way Vicki and I ended.

"No. Not as a date. But...", I say, looking back at the documents. "She saved my life, the other night. That, along with leading me to the murderer of Dent's wife, is the reason I'm going to ask you to send her an invitation."

Alfred nods.

"Very well, then. Far be it from me to question your motivations in the art of relationships, and the like.", Alfred says, exiting.

I look up, watching him leave, making sure he has.

That wasn't the only reason I'm inviting her. I'm doing it because I, above all else, knows what it feels like to lose someone close to you under circumstances beyond your control. She's lost a friend... a partner, in all of this. And while my feelings towards that said person are a bit bitter, given that he stabbed me and blamed me for murder after he commited it... I do feel sorry for her, in a way. She needs someone to be there for her... Something I barely had, when my parents, or even Talia died. This will at least be a start.

I go back to the documents. Someone to be there for her... Maybe, had I had more people there for me... I wouldn't be like this...

 

[Byrd Man]

Reynolds Air Force Base, San Diego California

"This is NBC news with Brian Williams."

Brian Williams tanned face flashed on the television screen.

"Good evening, I'm Brian Williams, Tonight's top story The newest superhero know as Captain Atom made a big splash at Coastal City's Williams Park, here is the footage."


Nate and Wade watched as Captain Atom easily evaporated Metamorpho. Wade flicked the TV off.

"Alright that was good, the focus group we polled saw it as a good start, now for our next target we need to do something heroic in the red states, how about Keystone City? The guy they call The Flash is there resident superhero, It would look good for you to show him up."

"Whatever you say General. Will I fight another agent, or can I actually fight someone real?"

Eiling lights up a cigar.

"Not this time, still gotta practice, build up your confidence, you'll intercept Agent Clayface and dispatch of him. But first...You have to make a public apperance at a shindig for some rich playboy Bruce Wayne the prince of Gotham, socialize and all that but your main mission is to gather intel, The goverment as well as Gotham Police Department suspect Bruce Wayne of being The Batman he is on a long list but just gather any Intel you can."

Nate nods

"Now where the hell am I gonna get a tux that matches my new complexion?"

 

[The BatDude]

I lying in my bed tried. I am still a bit nervous about the pills. Why did I volunteer for this? I turn to look at the clock then it hit me like a bag filled with carcass of a dead moose…..I was late.
I quickly put on some pants and try to look for a shirt and a tie. I see the minute hand move.
“**** I’M LATE!!”
I keep hoping that today is the start daylight saving time, but what good is lying to yourself. I grab my briefcase and head for the door until I hear a loud growling noise from my belly.
“I need FOOD!”
I start to raid my kitchen for something to eat. I look up and see the clock in my kitchen move its minute hand again.
“AHHHH!!!”
I ran outside of my apartment to look for my car.
“OH MAN, my car is in the shop today.”
Some guy across from yells to me
“Why the hell do I care buddy?!”

I start running


I finally get to the upper floors. My legs feel weak; I could barely hold myself up. I’m trying to catch my breath
“How’s it going Tick Tock?”
“I’m doing okay.”
“Man you look thirsty.”
“Yeah I need some w-water.”
I make my way to the water gallon.
“Where are the damn cups?”
“Right here Tick Tock! Are you okay?”
I start fumbling with the cups
“I said I was fine!”
“Jesus, I was just asking!”
He turns around
“Look at you! Did a ******ed monkey with ADD dress you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well you couldn’t even button up your shirt right and you use a tube sock for a tie.”
I take a good look at myself. I grab my tube sock a throw in the trash can.
“I was in hurry.”
“For what, is it because of that new hot intern?”
He points at her.
“No I thought I was late.”
“Late?! Your ten minutes early.”
“Oh, and one more thing Tick Tock… you have an open house.”
“What?”
I look down
“Oh God”
I quickly zip up my pants. As I look up, I see the new Intern giggling.
I walk toward my office ashamed. I see Zeke is already here. “Rex what happen to you? You’re not usually this late.”
Zeke might be the only one in this office to call me Rex.
“I know…..You know that hot intern I had my eye on for awhile?”
“Yeah?”
“Well she saw me with my zipper down.”
He scratches his head as I sit down at my desk.
“Roy wants to talk to you after your lunch.”
“I hope he isn’t still pissed at about Lex Corps cancelling the deal.”
I start to button up my shirt correctly.
“For everyone sake, lets hope he’s not pissed.”

Lunch time passes by faster then your first night with a special someone doing the nasty.
I walk by the Intern trying to play it cool like nothing happened.
“Dude, I heard an awesome racist joke today.” Says some worker I didn’t even know worked here.
I walk in Roy’s office to find him sitting in the dark with his hands over his face and six empty bottles of Whiskey in front of him.
“Wow Roy you really let yourself go today.”
“I know *HIC*”
“What’s that smell?”
“Oh I just threw up a couple of times….Take a seat”
“No thanks, I’ll just stand.”
“You see this card Rex?...Don’t answer it a rhetorical question. This card is hope wrapped up in *hic* in-nn a fancy.. Oh, Good God save me—“
“Gross!! You just threw up all over your new shoes.”
“Shut Up-p-“He wipes the vomit from his chin
“We might of lost the Lex Corp deal Rex but in return we got something even better! We got an invention to-o *hic* Wayne’s new party.”
“I don’t see where this is going.”
“Go to the damn party and try to get Wayne invest some money on us.”
“My car is in the shop.”
“Take mine.”
He throws the keys five feet to my left away from me. I pick
“Thanks Roy, you drunk sweaty pig!!”
I leave Roy by himself; I take a last look at him. Poor guy he’s hugging the trash can as if it where a cute puppy. I slam the door after I realize that Roy was drunk when he gave me his car. I stop near the water gallon and to my amazement; I see a group of workers caught in brawl. I knew racist jokes have no place at work. Should I stop the fight? Nah I got a new sweet car for the weekend! Gotham Here I come!!!

 

[twylight]

&#8220;Bye mom.&#8221; I give her a peak on the cheek as I head for the door.

&#8220;OH! Don&#8217;t forget the basket!&#8221; She says grabbing my hand as I turn away. I smile at her and brush a strange of short hair behind my ear, she&#8217;s looking through &#8221;Florist Illustrated&#8221; pictures of floral arrangements strewn across the table.

&#8220;Yes ma&#8217;am.&#8221; I say pikcing it up only to have my arms jerked forward under the weight.

&#8220;OFH! What did you put in here?&#8221; I ask as I pull it back up.

Mom turned from the sink, her beautiful face shining.
&#8220;Some cold cuts, Ted always had a weakness for them. When I was chairing th-&#8220; She cut herself off and her face hardend as she looked back down at her pictures.

&#8220;- the JSA I always made sure we had cold cuts available&#8221; I mentally finish her sentence.
She never talked about it, everything ever connected to the JSA was self-lobotomised from her mind. Because of Dad, yet she held onto the friendships she had there with a tight grasp, I shifted my grip on the basket, as evidenced by the humoungus basket I&#8217;m holding.

I lean over and give her another kiss on the cheek.
&#8220;I love you mom.&#8221;

She looks up at me and smiles.
&#8220;I love you to.&#8221; I wave as I close the kitchen door behind me, before sighing and leaning against the outside wall.
How am I going to get this to Ted?

6 bungee cords latter I&#8217;m crusing down Gotham&#8217;s Interstate heading out of town, the breeze brushes against my helmet creating white noise as I go. It&#8217;s the perfect day as far as Gotham is concerned. Bright, clear blue skys, dotted with fluffy clouds the sun reflectiong off of the fluffy tops of them making them loook like marble. There&#8217;s a breeze off the bay that cools the air. I smile and throttle up weaving in and out of traffice, my mind filled with estasy to even be alive. Gone are the gloomy thoughts of the night before, I frown before forcing myself to push the thoughts back as I fly past the downtown Skyscrapers, Wayne Tower standing taller and shinier than the rest.

Half an hour later I pull up in front of small west coast style bungalow, in a city outside of Gotham. I hop off the bike and take my helmet off, lacing my fingers through it I shake it out a bit to avoid helmet hair. Then I kneel down to unattach the basket.

&#8220;Nice little package you&#8217;ve got there.&#8221;

I turn around, the basket swinging out before bouncing against my legs.

&#8220;Hey! Greetings from Mom!&#8221; I call to the man on the porch as he scoops up the newspaper. I Make my way up the steps and he grabs the basket with one hand pulling me in for a hug with his other arm.

&#8220;Hey kiddo.&#8221;

I smile and rub my nose on his shoulder.
&#8220;Hey yourself.&#8221; He releases me but keeps his arm around my waist, his eyes narrowing at the sight of my short hair.

&#8220;What&#8217;s this?&#8221; he pulls one of the curls out before releasing it allowing it to recoil on my head.

I pat my head.
&#8220;Just thought it was time for a change.&#8221;

He nods, before becoming all business.

&#8220;Ready for some training?&#8221; I nod as he guides me inside.

I stop in the small entry area as he proceeds to the kitchen, and sets the basket down on the table.

I look around the cozy rooms taking a deep breath as I do. This was my second home, almost literally.


&#8220;Thanks Ted.&#8221;

&#8220;Not a problem Diana.&#8221; Ted put his hands on her shoulders gave them a gentle squeeze, I watch from Uncle Ted&#8217;s porch with Josh and Howard on each side. I clutch my Dr. Fate doll tight in my small arms as I watch the scene in the front yard with my 4 year old eyes.

- - -

&#8220;MOM! DAD! Uncle Ted&#8217;s gonna torch the barbeque!&#8221; Josh calls with Howard right behind.

Mom looks at Ted Grant and Dad before sighing as Dad laughs.

&#8220;I&#8217;ll go help him.&#8221; Dad says turning to me.

&#8220;Wanna come Dinah?&#8221; I look up from my carefully colored coloring book of the JSA.

&#8220;Sure!&#8221; I hop down from the kitchen stool.

&#8220;Dinah&#8230;clean your crayons up.&#8221;

I look at Mom with frustration before looking at Dad.

&#8220;Aww, Diana, she&#8217;s only 10. Let her be.&#8221;

Mom sighes, before going back to cutting up lettuce.
&#8220;Fine.&#8221;

I give a little jump, careful not to raise my voice, before racing after Dad.
&#8220;Dad..why do you call mom &#8216;Diana&#8217; when her name is the same as mine?&#8221;

&#8220;Well, we have to tell the difference somehow- TED!&#8221; Dad raced off to stop the Starman from anything dangerous as Josh and Howard jumped around the grill.

- - -

&#8220;Thanks for coming.&#8221;

I glance up from my seat on the living room sofa as Ted closes the door behind someone. He turns to the few other old JSA members who are there and they speak for a while before Dr. Fate comes in and pats my knee.

&#8220;It will be alright Dinah.&#8221; He rested his hand on my head for a second before leaving allowing Ted to come in.

I don&#8217;t look up, rather focus on the damp handkerchief in my hand. He says nothing and just sits next to me, his elbows on his knees. I sniff a little before looking up at him, my 13 year old heart breaking.

&#8220;Is it true? He died because of..&#8221; I trail off as my words get lost in a sob. Ted puts his arm around me.

&#8220;Yeah&#8230;yeah it is&#8230;&#8221;

I walk through the living room and gently touch a trophy before making my way to the basement. It&#8217; large, much larger than the house and lit with a special light that makes it feel like natural sunlight.
I quickly pull off my riding jacket and jeans revealing skin tight work out clothes and commence warming up.

&#8220;Warmed up?&#8221; Ted asks as he enters the room.

I nod and take my place on the sparring mat. The next few hours was an intense session. Each time I hit the floor with a dull thump Ted&#8217;s words followed like a mantra.
&#8220;Again.&#8221;


&#8220;Ofh&#8221;

&#8220;Again.&#8221;


&#8220;AH!&#8221;

&#8220;Again.&#8221;


When I finally stood over him myself I leaned over and smiled.

&#8220;Again.&#8221;

- - -

I walked into the kitchen, drying my hair, as Ted sat down at the kitchen table chair, a place of cold slices in front of him. I let the towel slip to my shoulders as I get myself a glass of water. It had been an enjoyable morning. Something bothered me though. Ted&#8217;s moves were different, he&#8217;d learned some new things since he&#8217;d taught me and for some reason it bothered me, not because he had, but because they felt familiar.

&#8220;You&#8217;ve learned some new moves.&#8221; He said as he glanced at the front of the newspaper, his normally placid face having a shadow pass over it before he opened the newspaper.

I turn and smile at him leaning against the counter as I take a drink of water.

&#8220;I hope so.&#8221;


I squint my eyes at the headlines.

&#8220;BATMAN DEAD?&#8221;

I bolt across the kitchen and lean over the table pulling the front page away from the rest of the paper, I quickly read the article for the facts, not bothering with the rest of it. And to think I was so mad at him last night for &#8216;standing me up,&#8217; Of course this was later in the evening after he&#8217;d agreed to meet me. Still this took away my chance to beat him around. Wait...Ted&#8217;s face&#8230;.pieces started to fall into place in my mind as images flew through it.

I slam the paper down on the table my hand on top of it, and lean over.
&#8220;Who is he?&#8221; I demand

Ted looks up from his paper, having ignored what was practically a normal occurrence of mine.

&#8220;What?&#8221;

I lean farther over the table.
&#8220;Don&#8217;t lie to me. You know who he is. He has your moves and you have some of his.&#8221; I point my finger at him.
&#8220;You&#8217;ve trained practically every hero who was in the business and you trained me. Who is he?&#8221;

Ted stared at me for a while, thick silence enveloping the room, before he put the paper down, the rustling of it loud against my eardrums as blood surged through me.

&#8220;You know I can&#8217;t tell you Dinah.&#8221;

I felt myself sway a little as I straightened up, feeling light headed. Why? What was it? Jealousy? Anger? Frustration?

All of the above. Ted trained this man and he&#8217;s better than me, he&#8217;s done more than I ever could and now he&#8217;s got Ted&#8217;s confidence. I take a step back, this on top of Helena and Josh. Two people that mean the world to me have other people besides me and I&#8230;I have no one.

&#8220;Dinah?&#8221; Ted gets up and walks around the table to me. I put my hand up, he has no idea, and just that thought hurts.

&#8220;I have to go.&#8221; I say taking the towel off and dropping it on a chair before running into the living room. I grab my helmet and jacket before racing out the door and to my motorcycle. I don&#8217;t want to think about anything, I just want to get away.
I zoom off down the street allowing the scenery to flash by me in a blur. What I&#8217;d noticed earlier in the day I now ignored as I ride absently, weaving in an out of traffic.

What was my issue? What was it? Why am I so hurt over Ted? Am I just depressed because anything I try to do I fail at it miserably? I just want to scream, but I can&#8217;t. I&#8217;ve never been able to. I grit my teeth in frustration and speed up, the engine shifting under me as it growls louder.

- - -

*chirp chirp chirp*

I lay on my back on the grass looking up through the leafy tree branches at the blue and orange sky that peeks through it. I roll over on my stomach and look around the quiet park, it&#8217;s right outside of Gotham city in a cute little suburb, I turned my cell phone off long ago to waylay the inevitable chain of Ted calling mom and mom calling me. I lay my head down on my arms. I don&#8217;t want to go home, not now, I don&#8217;t want to face anyone.

&#8220;Hey!&#8221;

I lift my head at Jason&#8217;s voice and see him walking across the park to me. Pushing myself into an upright sitting position I brush a strand of hair from my face.

&#8220;Hey.&#8221; He slowly walks over and I can&#8217;t help but think how amazingly handsome he looks as he sits down on the grass next to me, his arm draped on his knee. He&#8217;s silent as he watches the setting sun in the distance.
&#8220;I never knew this park was here, it&#8217;s pretty. Cute little area.&#8221; He said glancing around at the nearby houses.

I follow his glance.
&#8220;Yeah, it&#8217;s nice here. Clean.&#8221; I say simply before looking back at the sunset.
&#8220;Why are you here.&#8221; I ask not looking at him. He keeps his eyes on the sunset and answers simply.
&#8220;Your Mom called Howard, Howard called Josh and Josh called Slam who had me come out. He said he was to connected to Gotham to come out this far. I think he&#8217;s just lazy.&#8221;

&#8220;It&#8217;s steak night at Lenny&#8217;s.&#8221;

Jason smiled and raised an eyebrow in agreement.
&#8220;And there&#8217;s that.&#8221; I turn to him and smile, squeezing my legs with my arms.

&#8220;She&#8217;s upset isn&#8217;t she?&#8221;

Jason looked and me and shook his head.
&#8220;Nah. You are though.&#8221; he said confidently. I look at him skeptically Ted had no idea why I was upset and he wouldn&#8217;t have told mom about it, if only for her protection.

&#8220;How would you know? Other than Slam.&#8221;

&#8220;Well, I&#8217;ve known you for a few years. Even if you never really talked to me I watched you whenever you came in. Noticing your face when you were upset, excited, happy, mad&#8230;&#8221; He trailed off as the tiniest of blushes appeared on his face. I leaned forward, catching it before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. I realize something, I always thought he'd been playing but now I know it's real.

&#8220;You like me don&#8217;t you? I mean..you really like me.&#8221;

Jason smiled not looking at me.
&#8220;Yeah&#8230;&#8221; he looked at me.
&#8220;I do.&#8221;

I smile and rock back a little, before he stands up and puts his hand out to help me up.

&#8220;Let&#8217;s go get a coffee.&#8221; I look at his proffered hand before looking up into his eyes. It wasn&#8217;t a question, rather a command and goodness knows those never go over well with me, but his voice was light and gentle. I tucked my hair behind my ear and took his hand.

&#8220;Lead the way.&#8221;

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Mr. Freeze now had a new purpose. His wife was alive and now the challenge has become to keep her alive.

The hyperchamber I built her will only keep her alive but for so long. I need better parts and technology. Wayne Enterprises is out because of the possibility of seeing the Bat. No...maybe Addison Industries...yes they are cutting edge and with the shadow that Wayne Enterprises casts maybe their security is not as formidable.

Freeze begins to make his way Addison Industires.

 

[Purple Man]

The Daily Planet and Gotham Gazette both wrote wonderful articles on this place. In the heart of Africa, the Bruce Wayne wildlife preserve is home to hundreds of endangered species.

Though poachers would find the prospect of all these rare creatures rather tempting. What happend to the first men who came to these lands with guns were made an example of. At first the press thought these men were mauled and eaten by the big cats on the preserve until they found their weapons, planted into the ground side by side like a row of tombstones.

The incident with the poachers was making headlines around the world. 'The Wild Catman of Africa' was first coined by a reporter for the Daily Planet. Though many have tried, there are no photographs or video footage of the man in question.

A not so urban legend. Many stories were made about the origins of the African Catman. Each one more of an outlandish lie than the next. He was not raised by cats, he was not some feline-human hybrid. No one really knew the man himself, and the man himself never read the news paper so he never knew of the fabricated stories of his life.

Today was hot. Just like every other day in Africa. There was blood on his hands. Along with his face, and his chest. When the sun was still up high, he had went hunting for gazelle with his pride of lions. The trio of scars across his chest indicated a rough initiation.

A change in the wind caused his nostrils to flare up, a familiar scent that he had not smelled in years suddenly took hold of his senses.

Whirling around, bright green eyes spied a note held firm to a tree by a knife. Dislodging the knife, he carefully opend the note. It had been so long since he had seen paper he would make sure to keep it. He took the time to read each word slowly, there were no books in the savana so his reading skills had nearly deteriated in these wild years.

The note detailed how to get to a jeep that was waiting for him, the jeep would then take him to a plane, and the plane would take him to Gotham City, a urban hellhole he had abandoned many years ago.

There was a long moment of contemplation of whether he should go. Curiosity, though it has been known to be dangerous for cats, got the better of him as he looked up into the sky and watched a solitary bat leave the tree the letter was attached to and flitter across the evening sky. Something clicked in his head, he was ready to go.

"Wayne.."