Gotham

[batman4560]

(Jim Gordon)


The whine of an alarm echoed over and over in the small room, the alarm display continued to switch, minute after minute until a large hand smashed the button, setting it off. The dark haired man in bed sat up and held his head, leaning forward he picked up a half smoked cigar from a tray and lit it. Jim Gordon put his glasses on and stood from his bed and walked into the bathroom...

A brown station wagon pulled into the parking garage below the Gotham P.D. Jim found himself riding up an elevator, straightening the red tie around his neck while he puffed on a cigar, the creases of stress in his head starting to build up. The elevator stopped and a woman stepped inside, pulling her dark hair back into a ponytail. "Detective.." Jim greeted the woman while nodding his head. The woman smiled kindly. "Captain. Any word on the Zeus case?" Jim shook his head, and frowned. "Nothing's sticking yet. But I have a good lead." Jim responded with a sly grin.

Jim found himself sitting at his desk, hunched over a screen while sipping on a cup of coffee. His finger clicked rapidly, going over file names that he had been typing things into and compiling information for the past seven months. He stopped on a file labeled 'Trident Shipping- Maxie Zeus'. Every half quarter Gordon or one of his men busted someone at the docks going through Sions Industry and Ace Chemicals Shipping Containers and throwing cargo into the Gotham Harbor or burning packages. Worse off, the men were wearing Trident Shipping jackets each time and worked for the company, but every time the men were put on trial, they claimed to be working alone and not under cover. The captain started to type notes he took on Maxie and his daily life after hiring a private investigator to track the man for a month and document his every move.

Two men laid with their heads smashed and bloody, staining the sidewalk while groaning in pain. One had a broken arm, the other a smashed nose. The duo had their arms tied behind their backs and their legs tied to a filled dumpster. A man in a ski mask limped down the alley, holding a deep cut on his rib while rounding a corner and fumbling with a beat up van door. With great effort he hoisted himself up into the drivers seat and threw the van in reverse, peeling out and headed deep into the city. The driver fumbled with his phone and sent a quick text message and pulled into a parking garage.

Slowly a blue Rolls Royce pulled out of the garage and headed to the edge of the city to a massive mansion. As it entered the garage, a young man limped out of the car and slipped into the house. He collapsed on the floor of the kitchen where an older man found him and helped the young man into a room where he laid on a cold table while the older gentleman grabbed a first aid kit and prepped to stitch the man up...​

 

[batman4560]

(Alfred Pennyworth)


The young man winced while Alfred finished cleaning a wound and slapping a wide bandage on it. "There you are Sir, now maybe you will take my advice and put your mind to doing good in a legal way." Alfred lifted a brow and his grey blue eyes glinted under the bright light of the operation room. The young man rolled his eyes and glanced at the wound on his left flank. "They weren't afraid of me.... all that time learning and they weren't worried at all. I'm doing something wrong." Bruce reasoned while scratching his chin and thinking. "Say, does anyone know I'm back in Gotham yet?" He asked. Alfred blinked for a long moment and folded his hands behind his back. "Well, the rumor mill is abuzz with the news."

Alfred, hoisted a remote and turned a T.V. on. "Good Evening Gotham, I'm Jack "Five Star" Thorpe, and you're watching Gotham News at Ten O'clock! Tonight, is Bruce Wayne, Gotham's First son back in town? And Captain James Gordon says that his task force is going to clean the streets of corrupt politicians and crooked cops. But first, a spree of night time burglaries leaves the G.C.P.D. stumped."

The young man, Bruce Wayne shook his head side to side and pushed himself off the table. "Looks like I can't hide it anymore. Reporters will be at the gate in the morning demanding something. I'll have to be ready to keep people away. Can you schedule something on Good Morning Gotham for seven in the morning Alfred?" Bruce asked while brushing his dark brown hair back on his head. Alfred turned the T.V. off and nodded his head. "Of course Sir, it's about time you said hello to your adoring subjects." Alfred joked and wandered off, leaving Bruce alone.

Alfred stepped out of a hidden stairwell and slid a grandfather clock back against the wall. He wandered down the long lonely halls of Wayne Manor. The same halls he had walked down for the past thirty four years. The older man stepped into a den to make a call, jotting down an address to make sure that Bruce had directions to the studio. He wandered into the kitchen and made a small stew for Bruce and left it on the stove for the young man before retiring to bed.​

 

[batman4560]

(Vicki Vale)


"Well Vicki, I'd like to thank you for having me today, and on such short notice. It's been a long time since I've been in Gotham." Bruce smiled warmly while checking to make sure his dark brown hair was still in place and not a strand was out of place while he looked to the blonde woman that sat next to him at an angle. She flashed him a warm smile and lifted a brow for a moment then looked to her cards. "Well, Mr. Wayne. You haven't been seen in the city since before the trial of Joe Chill. Where have you been? If you can share that is." Vicki asked and leaned in closer, eager to hear what Bruce had to say.

Bruce chuckled under his breath and fixed the thin black tie he wore. "Well I was a kid... afraid of the world after I was left mostly alone. But I moved in with my aunt Harriet, she lives at the edge of Jump City. Bless her heart, she did the best she could with a boy, all last minute. But I thought it was time to come home and pick up where my parents left off. Doing some good for this city." Bruce explained but Vicki had done her homework and was ready to fire more questions at Bruce. "Well that certainly is good to hear, I'll take it that you don't want to do it the way your father did? With dirty money?" Bruce almost glared at the woman but managed to keep his composure. "While I've heard of what my parents may or may not have done to earn their fortune, I am clearly not my father. I don't know how to preform surgery, nor do I know how to run a hospital. But I've got a good set of morals, and I know how to spend money. I'll be taking control of my company again in the morning. But to be honest Vicki, I wanted to come here to tell everyone, Bruce Wayne is back in Gotham, and I'm not going anywhere." He smiled at the camera as music played them out to cut to a commercial.

Vicki shook Bruce's hand and smiled warmly. "I'm sorry about that Mr. Wayne, but I wouldn't be doing my job as a reporter if I didn't ask the hard hitting questions. I hope you can understand." Bruce nodded kindly and shrugged his shoulders while standing and buttoning his two button suit. "Of course, I might not have the respect that others do for you if you didn't. Again, thank you for having me on." Bruce shook the blonde's hand, his grip was gentle but his hands were calloused like a man who worked with metal and wood every day. Vicki took note of that with a raised brow but kept her thoughts to herself.

Bruce stood, flanked by men and women in suits, all of them looking away from the almost six and a half foot tall man. "So, you start tomorrow Mr. Wayne?" A small man asked. Bruce nodded at the man and smiled. "I do, looking forward to working with everyone for a brighter future." The returning owner or Wayne Enterprises answered. "Well, I can say I've had more fun working here than I did for Lexcorp." The smaller man responded as the elevator stopped on the ground floor and the workers swarmed out. Bruce stood in the metal box and waited for everyone to leave, pressing a button on his phone and put it to his ear. "Hi, Mr. Fox... It's Bruce. Are you going to be free tomorrow to start work? This place needs your mind to keep it running smoothly. It's suffered without you." Bruce admitted while walking to his car...​

 

[batman4560]

(Harvey Bullock)


Bruce sat alone in his den as the sun set over the city. Slowly he sipped a glass of water while he looked at an old diary his father had kept up until the day he passed. The man looked over an entry that detailed the caves found below the mansion and how far they ran. Some tunnels led deep into the city and Thomas Wayne had purchased every building that a cave ran to. With enough time, Bruce could have a safe house in what seemed like every major part of the city. Slowly Bruce closed the book and pinched the bridge of his nose, and frowned. Just then a bat crashed through the window and rained down glass atop Bruce. Startled, the man jumped from his chair and picked up a fire place broom, swatting at the Bat until it flew off. Bruce started to chuckle under his breath and held the end of the desk while Alfred rushed into the room. "Master Wayne, are you alright?" Bruce gave Alfred a thumbs up and nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay Alfred, but I just had a great idea..."

Soft foot steps fell on a wet pavement. A long brown trench coat flipped open and Gordon pulled a flashlight from his pocket while checking his revolver. At his flank stood Harvey Bullock, his partner and the one man that had his back since Jim had joined the force in Gotham. Harvey nodded at Jim and the police Captain twisted to his left, kicking a door in on a ranch style house. His light flashed about the first room, a small hall that branched out four ways, one to the left, one to the right straight ahead and behind him to the front door. Montoya was breaking in from the back door with a shot gun, Jim didn't bother with straight ahead. Detective Allen was watching the left, Gordon rolled right. Harvey slipped into the building next, taking point by going down the main hall straight ahead.

Jim stalked down a tight hall, his gun level and ready while he called out. "Gotham Police. We have a warrant and you're under arrest Bertinelli!" Jim shouted, Harvey twisted around a corner and a gun shot rang out, nearly hitting Harvey in the head but came up short, colliding with the wall instead. "Damn it!" Harvey shouted and ducked, falling into a crouch while aiming his gun around the corner without looking. Just before he squeezed the trigger a loud bang rang out and a male cried in sharp pain before falling. "Bullock! Clear!" Rene Montoya called out, nudging the downed man in the back with her shotgun. Her long black hair pulled in a pony tail hung over her left shoulder while she slung her gun over her right shoulder and dropped down to check the mans pulse. Harvey joined her and pulled a pair of cuffs out of his pocket. "Nice work Montoya, How's Allen?" Montoya looked up from under the brim of her baseball hat and raised a brow. "Didn't our tip say there were three men here including Bertenelli?"

As Jim's gun cast a shadow over a door way, the door swung open and Jim twisted to face the door. A tall man, with greasy black hair and in a suit was crouched low and swept up, smashing his open palm into the wrist of Jim, forcing him to drop the gun. He tackled Jim and sent the man crashing into the wall behind him. Jim grabbed the man by the waist and threw his knee up into the mans gut, the moment his leg fell he did it again, driving air from the lungs of Jim but he threw his head up and caught Jim in the jaw and chin, rocking Jim so hard that Jim fell to the floor and shook stars from his vision while the mobster known as Bertenelli made a break for it. Jim reached for his fallen gun and aimed it straight for Bertinelli's leg and fired. The revolver round raced down the hall and dug into Bertinelli's leg, dropping him...

Together the three detectives walked Bertinelli out of the building and to the car that Allen was supposed to be watching. Slumped on the side of the car was a tall dark skinned man with no hair, holding his ribs with one hand, his right hand clutching his side arm. "Captain..... she got away. It was Bertinelli's kid.. She got me with a fuckin arrow or something. Allen called out. Montoya rushed to his side to help staunch the bleeding. "Detective Bullock at 555-Washington Street, we have a downed officer, send an ambulance and hurry!"​

 

[batman4560]

(Maxie Zeus)


"What do you mean the cops were there?" A large voice boomed from the end of a dark dining room table. A man wearing a jacket with a thunderbolt on the left shoulder shook as the man at the table tossed a golden goblet that once held wine across the room. "It's like we said Sir, we went to kill Bertenelli like you asked, but when we pulled up the cops were there, one was hit by the guys daughter with a freakin cross bow. We figured that with all of the police watching your every move, we should just lay low this time." The man went silent and looked at his shoes, along with his partners who stood to his left. The figure at the end of the table leaned forward towards the candlelight that danced on the tables center. His blue eyes narrowed and the white beard that surrounded his face pulled up into a snarl. "Get me Mr. Zsaz. I want Gordon's head sent to Hades!" The man known as Maxie Zeus shouted before leaning back away from the fire to finish his meal.

The sun rose and Bruce Wayne stepped into the main lobby of Wayne Tower, dressed in a blue pin striped suit with his brown hair slicked back with just the faintest hints of gel. He smiled a sideways grin at those who made eye contact with him, learning long ago it was easier to fake being happy if he was always smiling. Straight up into an elevator he went, a five minute long ride to the top floor. He strolled out of the elevator to his new assistant's desk. The young woman wore her red hair down and was nose deep in work. Bruce stopped by her desk and paused, acting like he was trying to remember her name. "Hi- Ummm. err...." The woman glanced up and smiled warmly as if she understood he only met her briefly. "Sandy, hello Mr. Wayne." Bruce's storm blue eyes lit up and he blushed a bit. "Sandy! Sandy, hello. Please make sure I'm not disturbed for the next few hours. I'll be going over some legal documents to start my day. Thank you so much." Bruce strode towards his large wooden doors and pulled them open, swiftly shutting them behind him.

"Dad sure had a lot of secrets.... good thing he didn't know how to burn his books." Bruce muttered while walking to an old chess board and moving the black knight to the far end, and taking the white king with it. Once the two pieces slid, a panel near a shelf slid back, revealing a hidden elevator. Bruce stepped inside and a moment later the panel slid back into place and the elevator dropped down below the tower, under ground past the basement and parking levels into a large workshop. Bruce stepped out of the elevator and called out. "Mr. Fox?!" He stepped into the workshop while noting all the blue and yellow lights. At the end of one table, on his back but tinkering with the table itself, a tall just a bit past middle aged, dark skinned man cranked a wrench for a few moments before the table started to flicker with lights. Slowly he sat up and smiled at Bruce. "Mr. Wayne! It's a pleasure to see you in better circumstances, and thanks again for helping me back in Germany last year." Lucius stood and shook Bruce's hand. "It's not a problem, besides you're saving me with this."

The two stood at opposite ends of the now glowing table. "Six months ago when you told me about all of this, I thought you were insane. I still do. But you're clearly going to do it with or without my help. Alfred told me about your escapade two nights ago. So I cooked you up this after working all day and night. You're welcome by the way." Mr. Fox slid a case over to Bruce that seemed like it weighed sixty pounds. Bruce lifted a brow sharply and opened the case. The top half was filled with what Bruce thought was a flack jacket with sleeves. "It's a nano weave armor with kevlar under lay and impact plating. It will deflect most rounds that aren't military grade, with the odd exception. It's fairly flexible and the impact plating will soften and disperse heavy blows. Might keep you from getting stabbed again." Mr. Fox explained of the grey suit. "It's most protective right at the chest though." Bruce looked the folded suit up and down for a long moment. "It's perfect. Did you get the gloves done?" Bruce asked and Lucius glared at Bruce. "Now Mr. Wayne, I don't mind working here to help you, and helping you with this hobby, but you won't run me like.... like.." Bruce held his hand up to stop Mr. Fox. "I understand. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off like that. I just had an idea last night and want to make sure I can't help in some way."​

 

[batman4560]

(Zsaz)


James Gordon stepped out of the elevator and started to walk to his desk when claps started to erupt from all around him. Startled, the Captain looked up to see half the working force clapping for him. "Congrats Captain! You caught Bertenelli, he's gonna confess for a lighter deal. You're the first man in this town to get a real mobster in more than twenty years!" The men and women around Gordon cheered and smiled while the man made his way to the large wooden desk that sat across from Harvey's. With a sigh of relief he placed his case on his desk and went to open his laptop when the phone at the end of his desk started to ring. Gordon narrowed his eyes at the phone for a moment and picked it up. "Captain Gordon speaking."

"Hello Jim." A cold lifeless voice spoke from the other end. "Congratulations on the case. However my boss really needed that man dead along with his daughter. So now I have to tell you the bad news and the good news." Gordon narrowed his gaze and started to glance around the room. "Jim, lets be smart here. If you try to ask any of your police friends for help, I'll kill Barbra and that sweet baby girl of yours. But tell me, when was the last time you saw your son?" Jim clenched his fist and spoke through gritted teeth. "Who is this? What do you want?" A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone. "Oh you know me. I'm Zsaz, and I want you to come home, your family misses you dearly." The cold voice trailed off for a second. "Oh and if you bring any of your boys in blue, I'll make sure they all day slowly. Don't make a silly mistake Jim." The line went dead and before it did, James was up and walking swiftly to the stairs.

Jim pulled open the front door of his apartment building and glanced around. It was dark, all the windows had something dark smeared on them to help block out the sun. Slowly he adjusted his glasses and drew his revolver. Approaching one of the windows he touched it and winced in disgust. "Blood.... What kinda crazy son of a bitch is this?..." Jim muttered and started to check his blind spots, not knocking on any doors but following a tail of blood up a flight of steps. Jim was on the fourth floor and the blood went to the second. Jim gritted his teeth and rushed up the steps to the second floor. As he came to the landing he slid to a stop, slid in slick blood that was pooled under a dead body, the apartment manager. In his grasp was a balled up piece of paper. Jim carefully moved to a knee and plucked the paper from the dead man's hand.

-Jim, I wouldn't dream of making you watch your family die in this dump. But you can find me in the Narrows.-

Gordon considered things for a moment. "Why drag me here with no police just to send me...." Jim stood up and glanced down the steps, to the left of them was the front door. At the end of the hall was a window over looking the back door. Jim rushed towards it and peered out of the back window, unaware of the man in the rafters of the second floor. He peered down, knife gleaming with the bits of light that filtered into the room. He readied himself to jump down when a bit of blood trickled down the knife and dripped on the back of Jim's neck. He spun in an instant and fired his hand cannon up.

Zsaz gasped and fell backwards out of the rafters and crashed into the second floor. His knife still in his hand, the man pushed himself back and slid in blood until he hit the banister of the steps and scrambled up them, two more shots barely missing their mark. Jim quickly reloaded his gun and gave chase. "Your family isn't safe Jim! You can't be in two places at once, and you aren't going to stop me!" Zsaz shouted over his shoulder as he rounded the stairs to the fourth floor. Jim continued the chase, pulling his long brown jacket from his body and wrapped one sleeve around his arm while pulling his jacket back and lashing out just as the killer stopped at Jim's door. The jacket spun and wrapped around the bald man's knife hand, yanking his body away from the door to Jim's apartment. He could hear the muffled sound of screams coming from his home.

Zsaz was quick though, twisted his wrist and slipped from the jacket. Before Jim could raise his gun, the killer was springing towards the Captain. Jim dropped low then sprang up, slamming his shoulder into the killer's ribs, planted his left foot and pushed, charging the killer down the hall some ten feet before the duo slipped to the ground, both their weapons sliding down the hall further. Jim got to his knees and leveled a punch straight for Zsaz's face. The blow rocked Zsaz for a moment but the killer managed to recover and box Jim around the ears, stunning the officer. The bald man was to his feet first and raised his leg, pulling a small knife from inside his black boots. "You're a dead man Jimmy!" He shouted and jumped for Jim. Jim, still dazed acted purely on instinct, reached to his hidden under arm holster and pulled a small pistol from it, firing twice, each shot hit its mark right in the killers arm and hip, dropping him just a few inches away from Jim. Slowly Jim stood up and kicked Zsas in the face twice, knocking him out. "You're under arrest you stupid son of a bitch..."​

 

[batman4560]

(Lucius Fox)


Bruce sat at a glowing table in Mr. Fox's workshop, a long, thin tool in his grasp as he worked on wires in what appeared to be a mask. "So Alfred got the cape and tested it. You were right Lucius, it's fire proof and knife resistant. It will be great, thanks for the tip." Bruce called out over the semi loud sparking of the machine that toyed with the mask. Lucius grinned from the other side of the table and slid a yellow belt across the smooth table. "There ya go, it's synced up to your gloves. That belt will come off with the right code and with the claws built into the tips of the gloves if you press it into the top of the clasp, otherwise.... well don't worry about anyone taking it." Lucius went on. "Now, come with me, I have something special to show you." Bruce shot up to his feet and pressed a button under the chin of the mask and at the ears, causing gears to whirl and lock up. "Can't wait." Bruce muttered.

The duo walked for what felt like hours, making small talk along the way, down, then up, around a corner to a tunnel that led to a ladder going up. "Lucius, why do I feel like you're pranking me?" Bruce asked. Mr. Fox chucked softly, gestured towards the ladder and waited for Bruce to go up the ladder first. "Luckily your tower is on the edge of the city, right near the harbor. And right past the Delaware bay is Metropolis. They have good testing roads and people don't look too much into things there unless you're Miss Lane." Fox explained while Bruce pushed the manhole up and slid it aside to reveal day light.

The duo dusted themselves off and Bruce twisted around only to whistle. "Wow... Lucius that is one piece of amazing machinery." He whispered, shocked by the sight of what rested before him. His head leaned to the left while he took in the sight of the semi tank like car. "It used to be a busted up Lamborghini. I took the frame and added plenty of armor to it, gave it a bigger engine, and put some fancy tools in it. Here, the keys." Mr Fox fished in his pocket and pulled a key with a small device that had a few buttons on it. "G.P.S. tracker will lock onto the belt and the mask, simple push of the button will cause it to take the safest way towards your location. Why don't you take it for a test ride."

Dark bags hung under Gordon's eyes, he stood with his arms crossed and a cigar in his mouth that burned bright red behind a piece of glass that let him look in on Harvey Bullock questioning Victor Zasz. "Damn it, I want to know who hired him! My wife is taking the kids to Star City until things blow over and I want the son of a bitch to pay!" Gordon leaned forward and snarled while taking a puff from the cigar.

In the holding cell Victor was chained by the wrists and ankles to the table and floor. He sat calmly with a smile on his face. His hip and arm taped and bandaged up tight. Across from him, Harvey Bullock sat, leaned back with a foot up. A muffin hanging from his mouth in a death bite, a soft groan spilled from his lips while he thumbed through a folder. He leaned forward and slapped the file down while spitting the muffin to the floor and burping. "Says here you have sixty two scars on your body all in tallies. What's that about?" Victor remained calm, looking about the room he slowly turned his attention towards Harvey. "Hm? Oh the scars, yes.... well those are the souls of the others I killed. Granted I have two new scars.... I'll need some bodies for those. Tell me, are you like a brother to Gordon, Harvey?" Harvey narrowed his eyes and started to smile. "I am, and on the off chance you somehow get outta here... You come for me first, I'll make sure it's worth the time skin head."

"Oh Harvey, you don't get it. Nobody cares about you. No, they want Gordon dead, the scars just mean that two more need to die but they could be anyone." Harvey grabbed Zsaz by the throat and pulled him closer towards himself. "I want to know who hired you, and now!" Victor started to chuckle and looked up towards the roof. "I work.... for a higher power." Gordon snarled and swung the cell door open. "Harvey, that's enough. Let him sit there until his lawyer shows up."​

 

[batman4560]

(Bruce Wayne)


From a small, almost cramped faded red hatch back Honda, Vicki Vale sat slumped, a long lens camera in one hand, a voice recorder in the other. "My, my... Bruce Wayne arrives at Carmine Falcone's mansion at the heart of Gotham at Three P.M. on a Thursday. Does he plan on working with Falcone like his parents? Or is he going to live up to his promise to make the city better?" She pondered while recording her thoughts and taking photos of Bruce as he stepped out of a blue Rolls Royce. Slowly Vicki sank lower in her car seat while keeping an eye on the Billionaire.

Alfred stepped out of the drives seat of the midnight blue Rolls Royce and opened the back door, hiding his black suit covered body with the metal of the door. Bruce stepped out of the car and drew a deep breath of the cool afternoon air. Bruce smiled at Alfred and started towards the front door of Carmine Falcone's three story home. He knocked and waited for what felt like an awkwardly long time. Soon a maid with bright red and stunning green eyes smiled up at the man. She was a good foot shorter than he was, putting her at roughly five foot, four inches. He smiled kindly at the servant and she continued to hold his gaze. His heart raced for a long moment before she stepped aside and let him in.

Swiftly she scampered off down the hall from the foyer in the front of the building. Quickly, less than ten seconds... Bruce's blue eyes darted around the room. He memorized the style of lock, just in case, where the windows were located and lights. Even how the paintings hung on the walls. Soon the maid came back and waved a few fingers at Bruce. "Mr. Wayne, Mr Falcone will see you in his den, down this hall, last door on the right." She gestured to Bruce's left and then she went back to whatever work she had. The tall man watched her leave and shook his head then made his way towards Falcone's den.

Bruce could smell the cigar smoke wafting down the hall from the den, it was rich and made his nose flair. He hated it... His mind played out how many quick strides it would take to get down the hall and to the den. He memorized each door on his flanks as he passed them, three on each side. Then the last door on the right, the den. He was shocked that his den wasn't on the second or third floor, in a way it showed how paranoid Falcone was. If he was right, there was a back door the way the woman went.

As Bruce rounded the corner to the den, Carmine Falcone sat next to a softly crackling fire place and an old radio that was playing light swing music. The man glared at Bruce for a moment then smiled wide and stood up. "Bruce! Welcome back to Gotham, you're the spitting image of your father! Come here boy, let me get a look at ya." Bruce chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Uncle Falcone, it's been far too long." Bruce opened his arms and moved in close to the man, drawing a deep breath and turning a bit so that when Flacone went to hug Bruce, the wire he was using to record their talk wouldn't be felt under his black tie.

"So, what brings you to my home? Need a loan already?" Falcone asked while sitting and gesturing towards a large leather chair for Bruce to sit in. Bruce sat down and pondered for a moment while fishing in his suit jacket and pulling a small black book from a hidden pocket. He tossed it on a table that rested between them. "That's my dad's diary. Your name is in it a lot. I just want to know what you and my father did together. There are other names too, and I don't want to walk into something I should steer clear from. You always seemed like an honest man.... I was hoping you'd help me here."

The older man with silvered hair picked the book up and thumbed through it. "Bruce... I wouldn't be where I am today without your father. He saved my life... Twice. That was just after he became a doctor. He had nothing, in debt.... school bills. For saving me I paid for his schooling and introduced him to your mother. Since then we have been friends. I wouldn't dare put you, or your family in danger. The city knows what I do. I'll never admit it but I won't lie to your face either. I hope that helps." Bruce nodded his head and thought for a moment while picking up his fathers book. "Do you know who Maxie Zeus is?" He asked while standing up. Falcone glanced up at Bruce and took a pull from his cigar. "Don't dig deep Bruce, stay innocent and run your fathers company, the way you need to. Do better for the city."​

 

[batman4560]

(Falcone)


Bruce found himself standing at the door of Falcone's home, reaching for the knob when a soft voice cleared their throat behind him. He was shocked to not have heard the foot falls of the woman in heels. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the red haired maid again and he couldn't help but flash her a soft grin. "Hello again." The woman smiled back as Bruce greeted her and held her hand out towards him, between her index and middle finger was a small piece of paper. "I don't ever do this but... Call me. Ya know, if you need someone to clean your house that isn't your dad." A bomb when off in Bruce's mind, Alfred was like a father but not his father.... His father was gone long ago but he still managed to keep that fake smile all over his face. "Thanks... " He looked at the letter. "Selina. Huh, I always imagined Selina's to have dark hair." Selina chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh I used to have dark hair, the boss likes red though and if he pays the bills, Mr. Falcone getes red."

The door slammed shut on the Rolls Royce as Alfred started the car up and drove off down the road. Vicki sighed and checked her watch. "Two hour trip, something tells me they didn't watch a movie together. What are you up to Mr. Wayne?" Vicki started her car and rolled down the street the opposite way of Bruce. The blonde reporter had seen spoken to enough fake people to spot a false smile, even one as well practiced as Bruce. He was hiding something, she wasn't sure what, but she was determined to find out and decide then if she should share it with the world.

Falcone stood from his chair and cleared his throat. "Selina, Selina come here!" He called out while walking to a desk in the far corner of the room. He scribbled something down and put it in an envelope then sealed it with a family crest sticker. The red head strutted into the room and leaned against the wall. "Yeah boss?" Falcone looked the stunning woman up and down then handed the beauty the envelope. "Get dressed in a nice dress and head down to see Mr. Zeus, tell him that Wayne isn't to be touched no matter how much he digs. I'll handle things eventually." Selina smirked ear to ear and held back a purr of pleasure then took the note and headed off.

"Things went about as well as I hoped. Father indeed had dealings with Falcone.... So did mother. I won't be them. I'll be better. But for now we need to get back to the manor.... Did you finish the cape?" Alfred glanced at Bruce from his rear view mirror and sighed. "You're sure I can't talk you out of this?" Bruce shook his head side to side and scowled. "I've been gone for almost twenty years Alfred, I'm here to make the city better now." Alfred rolled his eyes and turned the car to get onto a lone road that would eventually take them to the edge of Gotham and to Wayne Manor...​

 

[batman4560]

(Batman)

Police surrounded a holding cell, all of them scowling at the man walking Victor Zsaz out of the building. The bald man walked side by side his lawyer in the grey power suit. "Thank you sir, I'm sure that you didn't come cheap so I'll try to make sure you don't have to come here again." Victor muttered under his teeth while looking at the front door where James Gordon was standing, waiting. "Mr. Zeus was willing to pay for it once, don't fail him again, I don't think he wants Gordon at the docks tonight." The lawyer responded. As the duo drew upon the front door, Gordon stepped up, seething with anger and spoke through grinding teeth and a clenched jaw. "You'll be back soon. Killers won't walk free in my city much longer." Victor smiled kindly and patted Gordon on the shoulder. "Say hi to your wife and hug those kids tight for me."

Selina kyle stepped into her small flat in down town Gotham and tugged at the base of her hairline at the forehead, yanking a short red wig off her hair and shaking her jet black locks free to cascade down her back. Slowly she strutted to her bed and slipped from her jacket and the skimpy maids outfit that she was forced to wear by the slime ball known as Carmine Falcone. She kept a small clutch purse in her grasp while she slipped into a black, sheer robe and reached into the purse to pull a tall choker of diamonds from the clutch. "Thanks 'Zeusy' baby...." Selina purred while admiring her appearance in her full length mirror. Slowly she sauntered towards her sofa and stretched out across it while glancing at her phone, no call or text from anyone, including Wayne. "Damn..." She muttered and tossed her phone aside. Moments later she found herself drifting to sleep.

BLAM BLAM BLAM! "Jesus Christ, what was that!?" Someone shouted from below Selina's building after firing three rounds into the alley. Selina jolted awake and sat up quickly, rolling off her sofa and crawling towards the window. Her heart raced someone screamed terribly below, the voice echoed while another gunshot rang out. "STAY AWAY!" Selina started to peer out her window down when something wrapped in black shot past the window, a bullet hit the brick of the building below her and sparked as it bounced away.

Selina yelped for a second and ducked down, drawing a deep breath and swearing at herself. "Damn it girl, your better than that... " She muttered and stood, watching for the shadow again. Below, three men who had a woman slumped against a dumpster were back to back (As much as they could be) with guns drawn and aiming randomly in the darkness. They all seemed to be panicked from what Selina could tell. Each of their heads whipped about in a blur of brown and blonde. "That thing isn't real... right? Lets run!" One of the men shouted and started to break away from the others. "Charlie don't!" One of the men shouted and reached but it was too late. Charlie ran down the alley, short legs carrying him as fast as they could when the shadow struck. It whipped past Selina's window again, she saw the thing's head. It had a strong jaw and dark blue eyes. In a blur it sprang from the fire escape and launched itself down towards the thug. Its wings spread, wrapped around the man and a second later he was sent straight up and back towards Selina's fire escape where he slammed into the metal and went silent. Selina, wide eyed watched Charlie for a long moment and saw a thin wire stuck to his neck that was hooked to her fire escape too on a device clearly made for retracting.

The monster of a shadow never touched the ground, somehow it sprang off Charlie's shoulders and extended its arm while flipping around, a bat shaped sliver of metal launched from the things hand and stuck into the cheek of one of the men. He screamed and dropped to a knee while trying to pull the throwing blade from his face. The last man standing stopped and shook, his aim was a mess. "DON'T COME NEAR ME!" He shouted and started to open fire. The shadow shot to the left, avoiding the bullet, then ducked and lunged, his feet carried him further than Selina or the gunmen thought possible for a moment. But Selina knew that she was faster. Still no man should have moved like that in Gotham. His hand grasped the man by the face and squeezed... there was a crunch as the mans jaw was broken. A quick jerk of the demons arm sent the man crashing into the dumpster with a ringing thud, the woman screamed.

The man on his knees finally yanked the throwing blade free from his face and started to sob. The tall monster stood behind him, casting a dark shadow over the man on his knees. From Selina's perch she crawled out on the fire escape and watched. The thing wasn't a demon at all... At least Selina hoped. The cape moved back over the man's shoulders, revealing a suit of dark grey body armor that ran from shoulders and neck down to his boots. A giant black bat emblem outlined in yellow on his broad, barrel chest. His jaw was clenched while his black gloved hands grabbed the man by the hair and belt, yanking him off his feet and smashing him into the wall near by. The pointed masked wearing man growled in a dark smooth voice that sent a chill through Selina's body. "Remember what happened here. If I see you again, I'll take a limb. Tell Falcone and Maroni, tell Sions and Zeus, tell Dagget and Thorpe. This is my city now!" The man closed his eyes and tried to not cry... he failed. A moment later he asked. "Who are you?" The figure yanked the mugger backwards and threw him as hard as the figure could against the opposite stone wall, knocking him out. Slowly he stalked into the darkness and an engine roared to life. Lights flooded the alley and a massive black car roared down the alley and onto the street, glowing with hints of red until Selina couldn't see it any longer. "Shit..." She whispered and untied Charlie, letting him fall three stories into an open dumpster. She collected the strange grapple tool and shut her window while the blonde woman picked herself up and ran out of the alley...​

 

[batman4560]

The goon who was left by the Batman stormed into the den of Maxie Zeus, soaking wet after waking up during the middle of a storm. The den was silent, lit by candle fire and lined with book shelves. Sitting with his back to the door at a desk was Zeus, dressed in a white toga and a golden pin with a lightning bolt, jotted something down with a quill and sealed it with a bit of wax. "Hey! We got a real problem, there's this guy dressed like a demon.. leather wings, big horns, melts into shadows!" The man with a soaked outfit cried out. Zeus snarled and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate while his hand shook with anger. At his right was a tall basket that held some lightning bolt shaped pieces of metal. "Did you bring wet shoes into my home!?" He shouted in anger, whipping around and grasping a rod of bent metal from the barrel, Zeus hoisted it up and the thing began to crackle with power. Before the goon could fully turn to run the bolt streaked across the room and landed into the chest of the goon coated in water, electricity crackled through his body and blew him off his feet, out the door and down a flight of steps before landing dead in the living room of the pent house. Soft foot steps echoed on the floor as Zeus stepped to the phone on his desk and made a call. "Victor, we need to track down a fellow God, Hades....."

The shadow darted across the docks, bouncing from pier to pier. Wrapped in black, the figure stepped back and melted into the shadows of the docks as five black cars came to a stop right at the edge of a warehouse. The doors swung open and ten men stepped out, each wearing jackets with a lightning bolt raining down from a cloud on their left breast. Five of them pulled hand guns and the other half poured out of the cars and surrounded the doors of the warehouse. In the mean time the Batman rounded the edge of the building and reached into a belt resting on his hips. Deftly he drew a set of lockpicks and slid open the locks on a window. "Thank you Zatara." The Batman muttered in silence then slipped into the warehouse and scurried up into the rafters.

Doors were yanked open and the group of ten started to enter and spread out around the warehouse. Slowly the goons began going through the crates that were on pallets stacked through the building. The Batman stalked the rafters, listening intently to their conversation. "So what are we looking for this time?" One of the goons shouted, clearly not someone that was with the normal group often considering the way the others all looked at one another after his question. "UGhhh com'on Mitch. Sions has drugs in a few crates of stuffed animals. We gotta find those crates and steal em."

Silently two cans fell to the ground from above and smoke started to fill the warehouse. "Hey, what the hell is that?" One of the goons shouted. The group all started to cough and covered their mouths all while they started to scan the roofs until grey smoke started to fill the building. The Batman reached up to the side of his mask and a set of white lenses slid down over his eyes and lit up dimly. In a flash he dropped down and vanished in the smoke. He darted to one side, then dashed forward, arm wrapping around one guards face and waist. He pulled the goon over a crate and drove the back of his head into the concrete floor...​

 

[batman4560]

The Batman darted across the room, his cape casting a shadow in the fog. The goons all aimed their guns at where the shadow was, the unarmed men drew knives from their back pockets while everyone started to call out to one another, making sure they were okay. "Everyone aside from Kenny... Oh shit... " One of them called out, panicking. "Everyone get to the doors!" The leader of the thugs shouted and started to back up. The Batman darted along side the group and pulled a tube off his belt. Quickly he lobbed the tube into the air and lifted his cape, blinding himself behind it.

Outside the warehouse, a single police cruiser shut its lights off and rolled to a stop. Gordon and Bullock stepped out, each drawing their guns when the sound of one a man crying out that he was okay came from the warehouse. The duo stared at one another for a moment and ran to the doors. A flash came from the buildings lights and a group cried out. "What the hell is that?" Harvey asked while Gordon reached for the handle of the door. "Doesn't matter, we gotta get in there and see what's going on. You're point!" Gordon yanked the door open and Harvey stopped as he rounded the door, his jaw dropped as the barrel of his gun waved.

The Batman waited for three seconds, then heard screams and guns falling to the floor. He moved, darting behind the man closest to the door, his elbow smashing into the goons throat his left fist smashed into the same thugs skull at the side, knocking him out in one shot. Through the lenses in his mask he saw the red heat signatures of the goons and sprang to the left, jumping up and kicking high, as he came down, his heel caught the goons shoulder and dropped the man. He extended his arm and tossed two bat shaped throwing blades, the edge of a wing sticking into two men's chest and their eyes rolled up into their heads before they passed out.

"Holy shit!" Harvey shouted when he saw a shadow darting around the room and taking men down left and right, even from afar without a gun. "Move!" Gordon shouted and ran into the grey smoke, slamming his shoulder into the back of one of the goons, catching the startled man off guard and knocking him to the floor. The goon rolled to his back and slashed at Gordon, cutting the Captain's shoulder. Gordon growled and grasped at his arm then lifted his gun and butted the man in the skull with his weapon. Blam! Blam! Harvey shot, two men who were drawing upon Gordon fell and the partners grouped up while the last of the fog filtered out of the doors. "Where are the other two?" Bullock asked. Gordon dusted himself off and shook his head. "I don't know but the one... it... wasn't human was it?"

Atop the warehouse, the Batman held the last goon by the throat above and over the edge of the roof. "My arm's getting tired and I won't switch hands... Now, How many men does Zeus surround himself with?" The goon started to sob, his face twisting with agony and panic. "I-I don't know, ten, twenty?" The Batman pulled the man closer and smashed his helmeted face into the goons. "Okay, okay! Six but they are all heavies, and his personal hit man, Zsaz. Now let me go! Please. Wait wait!!!" The Batman let the goon go, causing him to fall off the roof behind Bullock as the Batman vanished​

 

[batman4560]

The sun rose on Gotham, orange light beat in on Bruce's face and he winced, slowly he rolled to his side and hid his face. It had only been an hour or so since he had arrived back at the house, cleaned himself, filed some info he had gotten and climbed into bed. Less than that for actual sleep. He was pretty sure that he only needed three real hours of it but his body knew he needed to be up for some reason. Soon he drifted off once again...

"Nobody is gonna believe this Cap." Harvey rolled his eyes while holding his report up and highlighting 'black bat thing'. "Everyone's gonna think we are going nuts in our old ages!" Jim narrowed his eyes at Harvey, sighing softly and shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah well... what would you call it then?" Jim asked and tossed his report down. 'Batman' highlighted. "Batman? How do we know that thing was a man? You saw how it vanished and appeared on the roof only to vanish again after it dropped that guy off the building."

Alfred poured a cup of coffee, black with nothing to add to it. The man strolled over to a table and picked up a silver tray with a matching dome on it. Casually Alfred walked over towards a table in the dining room. A few moments later, Bruce stumbled down the steps, still wrapped in a long robe with his hair up in a shaggy mess. He plopped down in the seat with the tray in front of it and glanced to Alfred, smiling lazily. The man patted Bruce on the shoulder and flopped a news paper on the table. "It seems you've made the first page." Bruce looked down at the paper and read the headline. "Bat demon appears in Gotham, criminals swear to reform."

"I don't fucking believe it! How the hell did one guy bust up ten men and get word back to me about it?" Zeus shouted, smashing his fist against his table. The man shook his head side to side, annoyed about the entire situation." He must truly be Hades.... he will strike at night, coming for my soul!" Zeus shot up out of his seat and glanced about. "Someone get me everyone who works for me, it's time to get the gods atop Mt. Olympus!"​