For a moment Robin John Blake thought he was dead. He saw the light at the end of the tunnel. However this light was partially obscured by a very tall, somewhat thin silhouette.

"What is the Batman?" asked the silhouette in a calm, intellectual manner.

John acknowledged the question but was in shock and trying to remember what happened to him.

"Is he a monster? A creature of the darkness sent to prey on the weak citizens and district attorneys of this so-called glorious city?" the silhouette paused for a second, perhaps expecting a response. "No of course he isn't. Bane proved that, didn't he?" The silhouette took one step towards John. "Is he a product of his parent's demise; a masked avenger with a quest to prevent similar fates for other victims? Or is he something more? A legend? Something immortal? What do you think?"

"Who are you", John asks in a voice littered with confusion.

"You know what I think?" the silhouette asks, ignoring John's question "I think he's a fraud. IT'S LUCK! WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE!" The silhouette pauses to calm himself down. He sighs before he continues. "No matter, his stroke of luck will soon run out and when it's all gone everybody will see. He's just a simple man. Not a legend. I can see it now. I can see the mayor of Gotham himself tearing down that dreadful statue to replace it with the one who gave them vision. The one who showed them the truth. Me."

The silhouette takes another step forward and becomes a man. A strange man.

"Where is Bruce Wayne?" asks the strange man, with a slight growl in his voice.

"Bruce Wayne has been dead for 2 years"

"I know you're lying Mr. Blake." The man then points to a muddy shovel laying against the wall behind John. "Usually when one is dead, one is found in their own coffin under their tombstone. It's a traditional thing. He thought he could fool me with his automatically piloted Batbomb. Nobody fools me. Certainly not a Batman wannabe. So let me ask again."

The man takes another step toward John, revealing more details about himself. Frightening details. The kind of details that ring a bell in someone's head.

It was a regular night for Robin John Blake. Hostage taken at gunpoint, threatened to be killed unless the Batman himself showed up to save him. Bat hunting seemed to be the big sport in Gotham right now. Ever since Robin took up the mantle, everybody in Gotham city believes that the Batman truly is immortal. And criminal mentality says that if you can outsmart something immortal, you are truly a man to be feared. But nobody scares Batman. They may scare Robin John Blake, but not Batman.

As Batman arrived at the warehouse where the hostage was supposed to be, he immediately realized that there was no hostage. Just as he realized this, the warehouse security protocol activated. All of the windows and exits were sealed. Batman started becoming Robin John Blake again.

"No, I can't be afraid. Bruce wouldn't be afraid." He thought as he tried to calm himself down. "Think John. You need to think. You've outsmarted these bastards hundreds of times before. This one is just one of the few that finished high school, that's all. Become fear, do not give into it."

As John became Batman once again he began analyzes his environment. He found a rather peculiar box-shaped object. It was about the size of a basketball and on the top side of it there was what appeared to be a button with text near it that said "SECURITY PROTOCOL".

It seemed too good to be true, but after an hour of searching it soon became clear that this was the only thing to do. Even if it was a trap, Batman could handle it. So he pushed the button. As he did, dozens of strange green question marks lit up all around the box. Something about them disturbed John. As he stared at them he started smelling something strange. He looked up to see a mysterious green gas seeping into the room through the ventilation shaft. He thought he was dead, he saw the light.

"Now tell me Mr. Blake because I'm dying to hear the answer. Where. Is. Bruce. Wayne."

"Up until a few seconds ago I thought he was dead just like everyone else in Gotham"

"Well then I guess I found the wrong idiot to question. Tell you what; since you are obviously no match for my intellectual abilities you pose no threat to me. So I'm going to give you a chance to leave here alive. I'm going to challenge you. It's nothing hard though, just a simple question really."

John was silent for a moment, not knowing what to expect. "Ok"

"What belongs to you even when others use it more than you do?"

John thought for a minute before the strange man pulled out a pistol and started loading it.

"Give up yet?" the man said smiling

"Your name"

The man stopped loading the gun. His expression was littered with confusion.

"I guess it's the suit that makes people so lucky. Alright Mr. Blake you have won your life back. But just know that if you ever interfere with my search for Bruce Wayne, I will break your mind."

The man sprays a familiar green gas at John's face.

John wakes up to find himself in the bat cave. He hears a TV on nearby. The news is on.

"A former butler for the late billionaire Bruce Wayne is missing tonight. Alfred Pennyworth was last seen assisting the Wayne Manor orphanage for their 2nd annual Christmas party when witnesses say three masked men stormed in with automatic weapons demanding the butler at gunpoint to come with them. The suspects were said to have been wearing costumes vaguely resembling the Batman with the exception of, and I quote, 'disturbing green question marks all over the costume'.".

At that moment, John became the Batman.