Disclaimers: I don´t own any character. DC Comics does.
No money is made with this story.
Batman created by Bob Kane.
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust." - T.S. Eliott.
BATMAN: DROWN
A Novel
Prologue.
We take a good look at the strange city in front of us.
We wonder if we must go in there. It´s a dark, menacing place.
We can see some of it´s amazing buildings, crawling up to the sky.
Sometimes they look like the Titans should have been.
So big, so cold. This city is drowning.
Drowning in corruption.
In crime.
In evil.
Gargoyles on the gothic constructions look at us and laugh in silence.
And we wonder. What kind of stories have they witnessed?
What if they could talk with those hard lips made of stone?
What would they say to us with strange inhuman voices?
There´s a creature that lives in that town. We know for sure.
We´ve heard of it. Some say that´s a man.
A man that´s trying to save the city from drowning forever in it´s own filth.
But some say it´s a demon.
A demon trying to win his right to return to heaven.
A black, fallen angel. A dark, lonely knight.
But we are really sure of one single fact:
This is not a place for the sane.
We think for a while.
Should we go...?
It´s a dark world over there.
And the price could be too high.
But that is what adventure is about, ain´t it?
Taking chances.
Shall we...?
So close your eyes.
And give your hand.
Take a deep breath.
Let´s go.
Let darkness swallow us...
* * *
Who are you?
I mean.
Who are you, REALLY?
* * *
1: Shadows from the past.
Gotham City.
The day is just beginning at Waynecorp.Lucius Fox arrives at time every day.
He is the head of the company after Bruce Wayne.
He´s a good, honest man. Has a family to care for.
He looks at the papers that lie all over his desk and moves his head.
"Always a mess" he says and starts checking his mail.
Nothing new, same old story for him. Each day the same.
Still he does not care. He enjoys what he does.
A good, honest, working man that enjoys his job.
Some people could envy him.
Some people could hate him.
And some people... could use him.
There´s also a single letter in Fox´s mail.
One letter that has Mr Wayne´s name on it.
Lucius looks at it.
There is no indication on the envelope that say anything about who send it.
Fox doubts but then he opens it.
Only one page. No signature. The text is really strange.
"El diablo sabe por diablo pero más sabe por viejo."
Some threat? What the hell is that?
Lucius puts the paper back inside the envelop and quickly goes
to Bruce Wayne´s office. He enters without knocking as he has done since
Bruce allowed him to do so.
Bruce is not there yet. He writes something in a small paper and puts
the envelop and what he just wrote on Wayne´s desk.
Then he goes back to work forgetting about the letter.
There are more important things to do.
* * *
"Good, morning. Harvey. Meet Judge William Scheider" Detective Montoya said.
"What an awful way to leave."
"I know him. Not personally. of course" Harvey Bullock, her partner
and friend answered. As usually, he was eating a jelly donut he just bought nearby.
"It makes me sick when they do this to good, decent people. Family?"
"He´s... was, I mean, divorced. No kids."
"Thank God. Who found him?"
"His brother, Jack. Only an hour ago."
"What does the medical inspector say?"
"Seems he was poisoned. Still, we must wait for the autopsy to be sure.
But, look at him, Harvey. He looks like... I don´t know strange.
Something on his expression. Like he died in a lot of pain."
"Some strong poison, uh?" Harvey looked at the body. "He was in shape too.
Not bad for a man of... What? 50? 60 years?"
William Scheider was lying on his back, naked, a few feets from his bed.
His eyes were still open and, in them, you could still see the suffering
he went through before death came and claimed him.
"Actually he was 68..." Montoya said.
"This is crap." Bullock said. "This feels like... the beginning of something."
The fat detective exhaled smoke and closed his eyes for some seconds.
"Well..." he said "This night we should put that damn beam in the sky and call him...
He sure will know what´s going on..."
Montoya looked at Bullock in desbelief.
"You think... HE will know what happenned before we do?"
Bullock allowed himself to laugh loud. His chuckle made some of the officers
at the crime scene to look at him like he had gone mad or something.
"He always knows things we ignore, Montoya. He always knows.
You should remember. You´re not a rookie anymore..."
* * *
The sun has just went down.
A few minutes later a big signal with a big black batrules in the sky.
But the man who has to answer is busy.
Very busy.
He has been following Shukiro Matzada for almost two days.
Now he has found him on the roofs near the old deck.
The ninja´s knife has passed too close to his throat more than
a couple of times. His chest is bleeding.
The fight in the rooftop has been a lot harder than what he expected.
And longer too.
"Give it up, Matzada!"
"No, Batman. You should give up, if you don´t want to end up dead."
There is respect in the ninja´s eyes.
But no fear.
Batman gives two steps back and into the shadows on the roof.
"You´ve killed a man. I can´t let you go, Matzada." the Dark Knight says in
a menacing voice. The ninja is not affected.
Not even intimidated. He throws a blade directed to Batman´s heart.
Batman blocks it with his cape and the knife dissappears
in the darkness with a low, metallic noise.
"I´ve got a code of honor, Batman. I´ve only made my work. Now, get away."
The two men stand up in silence looking at each other in silence.
If you could see them from a distance you´d think they are both statues
from the past. A violent, more savage past.
"I don´t want to kill you. Get away."
Batman moves his cape making himself look like a terryfing fiend from hell.
A demon of doom with white, disturbing eyes.
"You know I won´t, Matzada."
The ninja takes a deep breath.
Then, with a movement too fast for the human eye,
he takes out the sword that is hidden on the back of his body.
"Then, fool, you´ll die."
"One day..."
The ninja jumps towards him like a big savage tiger
and the sword almost touchs Batman´s face.
He feels the cold blade so very close...
This time Matzada´s face is only one second without cover.
One second is enough for Batman´s fist to land
on the ninja´s mouth with a wet noise.
Crack.
Matzada, caught by surprise, is groggy.
He trips and falls from the roof.
Batman hears the noise when the ninja hits the water.
"...But not today." he says.
* * *
Comissioner Gordon gave up smoking some time ago, when he had a heart attack.
Since then his life has been not easy for a lot of motives.
He looks up at the sky and sees the signal invading the clouds of the night.
He knows his friend will be there soon.
Jim puts his hand inside his pocket and takes a mint.
"You know, I think I´m addicted to these damn mints..." Gordon says chuckling.
"Not a dangerous addiction at all" the voice in the darkness answers.
Gordon turns and looks into the shadows behind him.
If we were there, with him we could not see anything.
"You know something about addiction, right?"
Three seconds passed.
"Yes." Batman answered.
"Well, we all have our rough nights. Of course, you had more of that
than anyone I´ve met before."
Gordon takes another mint and he is suddenly serious.
"You got your killer, right?"
Batman comes out of the darkness slowly. He nods.
James Gordon looks at him carefully and sees not
a single muscle moves on the Dark Crusader´s face.
He knows Batman enough to tell when the fire of obssesion in him is turning off.
Batman was obsessed with that killer.
Now, it´s like a big weight off his shoulders.
Jim remembers the first time he saw Batman really obssessed.
So many years ago, when a maniac was on a killing spree.
The victims were all old people. Batman got sick but still managed to catch the killer.
"Mr. Lime" was the nick name that bastard used.
Gordon feels good for his friend now.
But he´s affraid the fire will be up again on him.
And will devour him.
Soon.
Very soon.
"Maybe one day you´ll tell me why you were so interested in this
killer specially. I mean, it´s not the only killer you´ve caught."
"One day, maybe."
Gordon smiles and takes a big brown envelope from his pocket.
He puts it on Batman´s open hand.
The Dark Knight opens it and looks at it´s content.
A low growl comes out of his mouth.
"Name´s Scheider. William. One hell of a Judge. Found dead last night.
The medical inspector first told us he could have been poisoned.
But then, autopsy revealed no traces of any kind of poison in his body.
Even though, for what the pictures show, it looks like he died in a whole lotta pain.
Strange stuff if you ask me."
When Gordon turns Batman is not there anymore.
"Oh, of course. See you around."
* * *
The Dark Knight hurled his line and then himself into the dark Gotham night.
He did not know Scheider in a personal way.
But he knew he was an honest man.
Batman tried to order his mind.
This could be a vendetta. Classic. Revenge on a judge.
Someone who had a reason.
But that was too easy.
Revenge?
Batman had doubts. The way the judge was killed...
Some kind of drug. Some kind of venom...
"Who are you?"
Batman landed on a roof nearby and looked around ready to fight.
That voice... Where did it came from?
No one in sight and it sounded like someone whispered on his ear.
Strange. Very Strange.
Batman stayed one hour standing in that roof.
* * *
No money is made with this story.
Batman created by Bob Kane.
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust." - T.S. Eliott.
BATMAN: DROWN
A Novel
Prologue.
We take a good look at the strange city in front of us.
We wonder if we must go in there. It´s a dark, menacing place.
We can see some of it´s amazing buildings, crawling up to the sky.
Sometimes they look like the Titans should have been.
So big, so cold. This city is drowning.
Drowning in corruption.
In crime.
In evil.
Gargoyles on the gothic constructions look at us and laugh in silence.
And we wonder. What kind of stories have they witnessed?
What if they could talk with those hard lips made of stone?
What would they say to us with strange inhuman voices?
There´s a creature that lives in that town. We know for sure.
We´ve heard of it. Some say that´s a man.
A man that´s trying to save the city from drowning forever in it´s own filth.
But some say it´s a demon.
A demon trying to win his right to return to heaven.
A black, fallen angel. A dark, lonely knight.
But we are really sure of one single fact:
This is not a place for the sane.
We think for a while.
Should we go...?
It´s a dark world over there.
And the price could be too high.
But that is what adventure is about, ain´t it?
Taking chances.
Shall we...?
So close your eyes.
And give your hand.
Take a deep breath.
Let´s go.
Let darkness swallow us...
* * *
Who are you?
I mean.
Who are you, REALLY?
* * *
1: Shadows from the past.
Gotham City.
The day is just beginning at Waynecorp.Lucius Fox arrives at time every day.
He is the head of the company after Bruce Wayne.
He´s a good, honest man. Has a family to care for.
He looks at the papers that lie all over his desk and moves his head.
"Always a mess" he says and starts checking his mail.
Nothing new, same old story for him. Each day the same.
Still he does not care. He enjoys what he does.
A good, honest, working man that enjoys his job.
Some people could envy him.
Some people could hate him.
And some people... could use him.
There´s also a single letter in Fox´s mail.
One letter that has Mr Wayne´s name on it.
Lucius looks at it.
There is no indication on the envelope that say anything about who send it.
Fox doubts but then he opens it.
Only one page. No signature. The text is really strange.
"El diablo sabe por diablo pero más sabe por viejo."
Some threat? What the hell is that?
Lucius puts the paper back inside the envelop and quickly goes
to Bruce Wayne´s office. He enters without knocking as he has done since
Bruce allowed him to do so.
Bruce is not there yet. He writes something in a small paper and puts
the envelop and what he just wrote on Wayne´s desk.
Then he goes back to work forgetting about the letter.
There are more important things to do.
* * *
"Good, morning. Harvey. Meet Judge William Scheider" Detective Montoya said.
"What an awful way to leave."
"I know him. Not personally. of course" Harvey Bullock, her partner
and friend answered. As usually, he was eating a jelly donut he just bought nearby.
"It makes me sick when they do this to good, decent people. Family?"
"He´s... was, I mean, divorced. No kids."
"Thank God. Who found him?"
"His brother, Jack. Only an hour ago."
"What does the medical inspector say?"
"Seems he was poisoned. Still, we must wait for the autopsy to be sure.
But, look at him, Harvey. He looks like... I don´t know strange.
Something on his expression. Like he died in a lot of pain."
"Some strong poison, uh?" Harvey looked at the body. "He was in shape too.
Not bad for a man of... What? 50? 60 years?"
William Scheider was lying on his back, naked, a few feets from his bed.
His eyes were still open and, in them, you could still see the suffering
he went through before death came and claimed him.
"Actually he was 68..." Montoya said.
"This is crap." Bullock said. "This feels like... the beginning of something."
The fat detective exhaled smoke and closed his eyes for some seconds.
"Well..." he said "This night we should put that damn beam in the sky and call him...
He sure will know what´s going on..."
Montoya looked at Bullock in desbelief.
"You think... HE will know what happenned before we do?"
Bullock allowed himself to laugh loud. His chuckle made some of the officers
at the crime scene to look at him like he had gone mad or something.
"He always knows things we ignore, Montoya. He always knows.
You should remember. You´re not a rookie anymore..."
* * *
The sun has just went down.
A few minutes later a big signal with a big black batrules in the sky.
But the man who has to answer is busy.
Very busy.
He has been following Shukiro Matzada for almost two days.
Now he has found him on the roofs near the old deck.
The ninja´s knife has passed too close to his throat more than
a couple of times. His chest is bleeding.
The fight in the rooftop has been a lot harder than what he expected.
And longer too.
"Give it up, Matzada!"
"No, Batman. You should give up, if you don´t want to end up dead."
There is respect in the ninja´s eyes.
But no fear.
Batman gives two steps back and into the shadows on the roof.
"You´ve killed a man. I can´t let you go, Matzada." the Dark Knight says in
a menacing voice. The ninja is not affected.
Not even intimidated. He throws a blade directed to Batman´s heart.
Batman blocks it with his cape and the knife dissappears
in the darkness with a low, metallic noise.
"I´ve got a code of honor, Batman. I´ve only made my work. Now, get away."
The two men stand up in silence looking at each other in silence.
If you could see them from a distance you´d think they are both statues
from the past. A violent, more savage past.
"I don´t want to kill you. Get away."
Batman moves his cape making himself look like a terryfing fiend from hell.
A demon of doom with white, disturbing eyes.
"You know I won´t, Matzada."
The ninja takes a deep breath.
Then, with a movement too fast for the human eye,
he takes out the sword that is hidden on the back of his body.
"Then, fool, you´ll die."
"One day..."
The ninja jumps towards him like a big savage tiger
and the sword almost touchs Batman´s face.
He feels the cold blade so very close...
This time Matzada´s face is only one second without cover.
One second is enough for Batman´s fist to land
on the ninja´s mouth with a wet noise.
Crack.
Matzada, caught by surprise, is groggy.
He trips and falls from the roof.
Batman hears the noise when the ninja hits the water.
"...But not today." he says.
* * *
Comissioner Gordon gave up smoking some time ago, when he had a heart attack.
Since then his life has been not easy for a lot of motives.
He looks up at the sky and sees the signal invading the clouds of the night.
He knows his friend will be there soon.
Jim puts his hand inside his pocket and takes a mint.
"You know, I think I´m addicted to these damn mints..." Gordon says chuckling.
"Not a dangerous addiction at all" the voice in the darkness answers.
Gordon turns and looks into the shadows behind him.
If we were there, with him we could not see anything.
"You know something about addiction, right?"
Three seconds passed.
"Yes." Batman answered.
"Well, we all have our rough nights. Of course, you had more of that
than anyone I´ve met before."
Gordon takes another mint and he is suddenly serious.
"You got your killer, right?"
Batman comes out of the darkness slowly. He nods.
James Gordon looks at him carefully and sees not
a single muscle moves on the Dark Crusader´s face.
He knows Batman enough to tell when the fire of obssesion in him is turning off.
Batman was obsessed with that killer.
Now, it´s like a big weight off his shoulders.
Jim remembers the first time he saw Batman really obssessed.
So many years ago, when a maniac was on a killing spree.
The victims were all old people. Batman got sick but still managed to catch the killer.
"Mr. Lime" was the nick name that bastard used.
Gordon feels good for his friend now.
But he´s affraid the fire will be up again on him.
And will devour him.
Soon.
Very soon.
"Maybe one day you´ll tell me why you were so interested in this
killer specially. I mean, it´s not the only killer you´ve caught."
"One day, maybe."
Gordon smiles and takes a big brown envelope from his pocket.
He puts it on Batman´s open hand.
The Dark Knight opens it and looks at it´s content.
A low growl comes out of his mouth.
"Name´s Scheider. William. One hell of a Judge. Found dead last night.
The medical inspector first told us he could have been poisoned.
But then, autopsy revealed no traces of any kind of poison in his body.
Even though, for what the pictures show, it looks like he died in a whole lotta pain.
Strange stuff if you ask me."
When Gordon turns Batman is not there anymore.
"Oh, of course. See you around."
* * *
The Dark Knight hurled his line and then himself into the dark Gotham night.
He did not know Scheider in a personal way.
But he knew he was an honest man.
Batman tried to order his mind.
This could be a vendetta. Classic. Revenge on a judge.
Someone who had a reason.
But that was too easy.
Revenge?
Batman had doubts. The way the judge was killed...
Some kind of drug. Some kind of venom...
"Who are you?"
Batman landed on a roof nearby and looked around ready to fight.
That voice... Where did it came from?
No one in sight and it sounded like someone whispered on his ear.
Strange. Very Strange.
Batman stayed one hour standing in that roof.
* * *