Raiting: This may change to Mature at some point, but at the moment I think there's nothing that hasn't been seen on TV or in a PG-13 movie.
Warnings?: This villain happens to be a murderer, so there is death, but no explicitly written scenes. There are gay characters if that somehow offends you, but no crazy sex scenes are being written(as far as we know...)and the characters that are gay in this story are gay in canon at one point or another.
Shadow of the Bat: Wicked Games
Chapter One: In which we introduce most of our cast, and our protagonists get ready for a party.
Nearly sixty million letters are sent to the dead every year. It's mostly clerical errors, it seems. A person kicks the bucket, buys the farm, (or whatever other clever little euphemism one wants to use to imply that the person's heart has stopped beating,) and the credit card companies and magazines forget to take note and just keep sending the junk mail.
It's a bit rarer still to send a letter to someone who is about to die, well not just a person who is about to die- people die all the time- it is, more specifically, far rarer to send a letter to a person telling them when, where and how he or she is about to die.
However, the lucky citizens of Gotham had been receiving such letters over the last fourteen or so months. Of course the letters are in some sort of code that the police force seemed to only manage to decipher after the next victim was claimed. It was usually a person per month, sometimes more depending on how he was feeling. There seems to be absolutely no pattern connecting the victims. They have nothing at all in common, except the letters.
January was simple. An architect was found strangled inside his high-rise apartment. February was surprisingly full, a school teacher on the first, a stripper on the fourteenth, and on the twenty-ninth a lounge singer. March was on the fifteenth, and the letter-sender decided it would be quite clever to leave a copy of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar on the chest of a P.H.D. candidate from Gotham University. April was a particularly cruel month, and he sent out letters to five people. He took a break then, and nothing happened for three months until the wicked month of August reared its vicious head and took down a firefighter who was shot two times in the chest. Things continued on, like they always do in Gotham.
With the confusion of the Narrows incident, those pesky rumors about a crocodile man in the sewers, the Joker's rampage, Batman's murder of Gotham's White Knight, and whatever headline catching antics the idiot playboy Bruce Wayne had been up to, the mysterious letters had been overshadowed; it took a few tries before the news finally began to report on the killings. His time was coming, and he could wait patiently enough until it did…
"Are you done yet?" The question echoed in the spacious apartment along with clicking of computer keys.
"No, Katie, and asking me four more times in the next minute isn't going to change that." The tall auburn-haired woman let out a fairly theatrical sigh and collapsed on the couch. Kicking up her legs she stretched across the leather furniture, extending her arms behind her, stretching like a cat, and yawning.
"Now?" She asked and the other woman didn't even bother looking away from her computer screen to reply. She simply brushed back a curl behind her ear and continued typing.
"I've seen you write articles in like thirty minutes why is one taking so long?" Katherine Kane rolled on to her stomach to stare at her friend. Her long hair was pulled back into a low-maintenance ponytail and the Gotham socialite was dressed down in a pair of jeans and a tank top. Of course the jeans were designer and cost more than what some people made in a week and her shirt was handmade by some exclusive Italian tailor whose name she couldn't pronounce.
"Because, Katie, I don't want to write this one. I've been getting shit assignments for the past two months. For some reason my stupid boss thinks because I've got ovaries I should be the one to write all the fluff pieces; it is absolutely ridiculous. I've only written two good articles this month."
Kate slipped off of the couch and moved to the kitchen. She had kicked her heels off earlier and shivered a little when her feet transferred from the plush carpet to the hardwood floor.
"Do you want anything, Vicki?" She called out back into the living room.
"New assignment. Couple million dollars. Car that doesn't break down. And to get laid." Victoria Vale called back from her position in front of her laptop. Kate shook her head and laughed grabbing desert from the fridge and returning to the living room.
"So, cake then?" Kate asked with a smile as she took a seat on the desk.
"Close substitute." Vicki replied. She saved the word document and closed her laptop before removing her glasses and rubbing at her eyes. Kate offered her a fork and Victoria took it with a half smirk and dug into the pastry.
"You know," Kate began innocently enough, "I could take care of at least three of those things for you." She raised an eyebrow and smirked at the strawberry blonde in front of her.
"I'm not having sex with you Katherine."
"Aww, come on." Kate whined as she ate a portion of the cake in front of her. "It'd be fun. I promise." Vicki rolled her eyes and shook her head in slight disbelief.
"God, ever since you and Re-"
"Don't mention that name in front of me." Kate interrupted her tone gaining a very sharp edge.
"Me-ow." Vicki mumbled sarcastically, "Someone is definitely-" she trailed off and her gray blue eyes flickered over to Kate before returning back to the cake, "you know what? No. I'm not going to start this because then you'll start complaining and throw a fit and possibly take away my cake and I haven't eaten all day." Victoria smirked up at her friend as she took another bite of the dessert.
"So, what's your next fluff piece?" Kate asked changing the subject as quickly as she could.
"Umm, fluff piece, fluff piece, let's see." She paused and tapped her chin thoughtfully, "On Bruce Wayne? Yeah, I think it's him. The gossip columnist is on maternity leave so they're making me fill in. I guess my ample cleavage makes me qualified to interview him. It'll give him something to stare at, at least." Kate laughed and Vicki joined in. When they had stopped she smiled at her friend a little bashfully and continued speaking. "I know, I know, unfair of me for making fun of the playboy, but have you ever seen him go out with someone who doesn't look like an anorexic model with breast implants?"
"Vicki. Bruce Wayne is gay."
"What? No. What are you talking about? He isn't, is he? Isn't he? He is? He isn't? Is he? No."
"No, it's true. Remember that ballerina he dated?"
"The Russian?"
"Yeah, well he wasn't the only Gotham socialite to date her…"
"What? No! You didn't, did you? You did! You didn't! You did! When?"
"Remember when the entire ballet went with him on a cruise?"
"Yes, I had to write that stupid article."
"Well, that's when she and I met and…" Kate trailed off and smirked.
"You're such a skank, which is probably why I love you. But, what makes you think he's gay? Did you walk in on him and some waiter or something?"
"No!" Kate exclaimed with a laugh as she finished the last of the cake and took the silverware back to the kitchen and deposited it in the sink. Her maid would take care of it later.
"No, nothing that definite. I just know for sure that he never slept with her and, hmm, he, well, he feels like he's hiding something, you know?" When she returned Vicki had migrated over to the couch; Katherine followed her move and took a seat beside her friend. "Like," she sighed and bit her lip looking deep in concentration, "like, uh, he seems like he's trying too hard to be the way he is. Does that make sense?"
"Not in the least." Vicki replied.
"Well, most people try to hide the fact they're shallow stupid jerks. They don't advertise it to the world."
"When you're as rich as Wayne is you're rather above regular social protocol and etiquette."
"No. It's not that, because I think he's faking it."
"…Why would you fake being a jerk?"
"Well, people usually pretended to not be shallow they don't often pretended to be like that. Unless, they think that is how a normal person acts. I've seen the way he looks at women; I've been his date before. He looks at them the way he thinks guys should look at them- it's the same way I look at men. He's obviously not interested in them so he pretends to be, but you can only fake interest so much."
"You know, I never thought about it much, but you might be onto something."
"I know I'm right. I bet if you ask the majority of the girls he's," she lifted up her hands and made air quotes "'dated' he probably hasn't slept with any of them either." She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on the left knee; she turned her head to glance over at Vicki.
"So, Vicki," Kate continued after a few moments of silence, "what's the plan for tonight?"
"Uuuh. Date. With… That Nigma fellow." Kate sighed, made an odd noise- that sounded somewhere between a kitten's mewl and a zombie groan- then rubbed her forehead against her denim clad knee before she finally spoke.
"What kind of a parent would name their child E. Nigma anyway?"
"One who hates their kid?" Vicki offered up as she turned to look at Kate.
"Whatever."
"It's not Eddie's real name. His real last name is… is something else."
"Did you forget it?" Kate asked trying to hold back a small laugh.
"No?" Vicki replied, stretching out the 'o' part of the word and not sounding at all convincing.
"Whatever, I still don't understand what you see in that.. that.." Kate stopped and narrowed her pretty green eyes "toy maker." She concluded disdainfully.
"He owns a toy company, Kate. Actually, he owns like four businesses. He's sweet, Katie. I haven't dated a nice guy in quite some time. So far he's been kind, charming, and thoughtful. It hasn't been all that long, but he's been good so far and he's taking me to some swanky fund raiser where the guests' outfits cost more than what each person contributes."
"Oh, I'm going to that one too," Kate paused and grinned, "with Mr. Wayne."
"Really?" Vicki seemed quite excited at the prospect. Perhaps she wasn't exactly ready to step into the nasty world of Gotham's high society without Kate there as he safety net.
"I thought he could use a beard. And I could use… the... uh... opposite of one."
"A razor?" Vicki offered and managed to hold a straight face for a few minutes before giggling.
"Shut up." Kate retorted picking up an expensive throw pillow and smacking Victoria in the face. "I wax."
"Don't be a c-" Kate smacked her again before Vicki had a chance to finish her sentence.
"Bad Vicki. Watch your mouth."
"Whatever, Katie, like you and Renee didn't swear at each other like sailors."
"I told you not to talk about her in front of me." Kate growled out, looking fiercely annoyed. Vicki flinched slightly; she hadn't expected her to get so angry.
"Calm down." Vicki said with a wry smile as she stood, "Let's go get you dressed and prettied up for your allegedly gay date."
"Oh, please, that boy is so far in the closet he's in Narnia."
"This coming from the woman that's come out to a grand total of... me. Plus how ever many women you've hooked up with. Other than she-who-must-not-be-named," Vicki paused for a few seconds and pulled her bangs behind her ears, "most of them probably just thought you were doing that 'Ohmigod I'm so drunk I'm going to kiss a girl' thing that us straight girls do."
"I can't believe you just made a Harry Potter reference. You are a total nerd. By the way, you're lucky I love getting ready so much or else I totally would have kicked your ass for all of that."
"I know, Katie, I know."
"Right." Katherine Kane said, standing up and linking her arm with her friends. "Let's go shopping. I'll buy you a gorgeous dress for your date with the stupid ungrateful toymaker."
Vicki's only reply was a laugh as she patted her friend's shoulder.
Bruce Wayne hated parties; it was as simple as that. He hated surrounding himself with people so plastic they would melt if the lights got too hot. He hated pretending to be someone he wasn't. He hated treating women like they were just disposable, like if their breast weren't big enough or their waist wasn't small enough they weren't worth the time of day.
He was growing tired of the façade.
He was sick of drunken weeping phone calls at five in the morning berating him for being such a jerk and desperate half whispered pleas from him to tell them where they went wrong. He could sometimes honestly feel himself growing ill as he managed to choke out what someone like him would say. The 'I'm just not that interested in yous' and 'there's someone elses' and 'it's not you it's mes' often sounded as hollow as he felt.
He was dragging down the Wayne family name, but there was so much more at stake than reputation. A part of him hated knowing that so many people thought he was that kind of person, but a larger part of him knew it was the part he needed to play. Last year he had seen what knowing his secret could do to a person. The only way he could keep himself, and others, safe was by letting people believe he was so self-centered, idiotic, and pompous that there was absolutely no way he'd ever stick his neck on the line for anyone, let alone strangers on the streets of Gotham.
Bruce had learned to accept this as a necessary evil, but the person he trusted most in life didn't seem so willing to let him 'throw away his life,' as he liked to phrase it. Alfred Pennyworth stepped out from the elevator, looking as serious and ready for work as usual. He was glad to be home, he probably couldn't have stood living in that penthouse much longer. The manor was finally rebuilt, it had taken a bleeding year and a half, but it was done… if slightly under furnished. Unfortunately, being back home meant one thing: dragging his 'boss' out of the dark, wet caverns below practically every day to get some much needed sunlight.
He walked past the four glass cases that lead towards their very large and extremely expensive computer; the first one contained a dingy brown mask that looked like it had been sewn together from burlap sacks. The second contained an odd joker card from a playing deck. The third contained a stand holding a silver two headed coin with one side burnt and scorched. The last case contained what appeared to be a human tooth, though it was incredibly sharp and jagged.
Mementos of past events that shaped their lives; Alfred honestly saw no need to keep souvenirs from such tragedies.
"Master Wayne; you do realize that you have a party to attend in-" Alfred paused to check his watch. "Fifteen minutes, don't you?"
"I'm getting ready," Bruce replied lamely, sitting at the rather large computer. He did not bother to turn and face Alfred as he replied, which was a wise decision, because Bruce was only dressed in his black dress pants, nice socks(sans shoes), and a white dress shirt that had only been buttoned up halfway.
"Would it really hurt you so much to go out and actually have a decent time for once? Miss Kane is a rather charming girl, and who knows? You might even like spending time with her." Alfred told him, the beginnings of hopeful smile forming on his lips.
"I'm not really in the market for friends right now, Alfred. Besides, you know how all these parties are; a bunch of people with too much money trying to make their existence seem all the more important by gossiping about everyone who isn't as" Bruce looked for the word, but the first few to come into mind were expletives Alfred might not appreciate, "fortunate as them." Bruce decided on, as he finished saving a file.
"Well, if I may speak frankly with you; I wasn't exactly thinking 'friend' in the case of Miss Kane."
"Alfred, please." Bruce replied, irritation growing in his voice.
"Is it so wrong that I'd like to see you meet a nice girl that you can spend time with and maybe even help you take your mind off of all this violence for a little while? I understand that losing Miss Dawes was painful for you, it was for all of us."
"It's not about Rachel, Alfred." Bruce said, finally turning to face Alfred as he replied this time. There was a long pause, as both of them stared stubbornly at each other. "-okay maybe part of it is." Bruce finally relented, turning back to the computer screen. "But not the way you think; after what happened to Rachel I realized that letting people get that close to me is dangerous. She'd be alive right now if she hadn't been so close."
"You don't know that, and do you really think she would have preferred things that way? She loved you, Master Wayne. You had your share of troubles, but she cared about you ever since you were children and to wish for it all to have never happened is dishonoring her memory." Alfred told him with a deep sigh. He stepped up behind Bruce, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Miss Dawes would want you to be happy, Master Wayne. Not living in regret over what might have been if things had been different." Bruce listened to Alfred silently, his face expressionless, but it was clear that he was deep in thought.
"She would want me to be happy, but none of that changes the fact that I can't make the same mistake twice, Alfred. As long as Batman exists I can't afford to put someone else's life in danger just to make myself happy." Bruce finally replied, leaving Alfred with a rather solemn expression. "Besides, I'm saving people's lives, driving really fast cars, and being forced to constantly attend all these ridiculous parties. What would I need a girlfriend or a social life for?" he added with the faintest smirk.
"Well, if I have to answer that, Master Wayne, then I believe we need to have a long discussion about more than just getting you out of this cave." Alfred said with a smile of his own. He removed his hand from Bruce's shoulder and bent over to pick Bruce's tie off the floor. "Now, finish getting dressed or I'll invite Ms. Kane to the manor instead." Bruce sat there silently for a moment, before shutting down the computer and wordlessly grabbing the tie out of Alfred's hand.
He knew when he was beat.
You can skip this part if you want to, I don't mind. I swear. It's just stuff that kind of needs to be said. It talks about characters you may not recognize unless you are a HUGE nerd.
Some of the reoccurring characters and their history in the comics: All reoccurring characters in this story are from the DC universe and most are an amalgam of the multiple versions that have appeared through the years in various media(comic books, TV shows, movies, etc...)
Katherine "Kate" Kane: is a Gotham socialite who appeared in the 1950s. She was originally pretty lame, called Kathy, and was simply trying to get Batman to date her. She was reworked in 2006 to be a much more believable and entertaining character(though she may in fact just be a relative of the earlier 'Kathy' I'm not a hundred percent on that). I based the Kate in here on that Kate. She's not Batwoman yet, and won't be for a while. She's in her early twenties and still maturing and coming to terms with her sexuality, though she seems quite at ease with Vicki. She and Vicki met and became friends while they were both studying at Gotham University while Kate was an undergrad. Vicki was the grad student T.A. in her English class.
Victoria "Vicki" Vale: is a reporter who was more or less the Batman comics' version of Lois Lane. She was used heavily in the late 1940s to the early 1960s and has appeared every so often since then. She was featured in the 1989 Batman movie played by Kim Bassinger and also was used in Frank Miller's comics. But, Frank Miller hates women, so this Vicki is a mix of all the Vickis(except for his) with a good dash of Lois Lane's awesomeness. A few tongue-in-cheek references may be made to Frank Miller's portrayal of her, but he is obviously not the source she is most drawn from. She's been shown with red hair, blond hair, reddish blond hair, brownish red hair, light red hair, dark red hair, and some weird kind of orange... In this version she looks a bit like Amy Adams from Enchanted. Minus the princess dresses and flocks of small animals doing her bidding.
Edward Nigma (birth name: Edward Nashton): Uh... Well. If you don't know this guy you should go watch Batman: the Animated Series. He's one of my favorite villains. Of course this Riddler is a far more violent one than the cartoon version and less wacky than the Jim Carey version. He's influenced a lot by what mental and personality disorders he seems to have. He is sort of a mix of Dexter (from the Showtime TV series Dexter) The Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy, a touch of Barney Stinson form HIMYM, and there are a few I just can't remember right now. I'll add them when I think about it.
All of these characters can be found on Wikipedia or the DC database. :)
Authors' note: Please review. That would make us happy. We'll get our first real glimpse of Eddie Nigma next chapter. Then after that we get to see the swanky party! Batman most likely will not show up until chapter four, so hold on tight. We're getting there. :)
Signed reviews, or ones with emails, will be replied to with the utmost promptness that we are capable of. Oh, if someone wants to beta too, that would be pretty sweet.
Oh! And one more thing! Cara has been playing with the story traffic and has noticed there are people from outside of North America reading the stories so if you could be so kind as to say what city or country you're from that would be wicked awesome. It interests me who is actually reading these stories.