Batman

Shadows & Secrets

Chapter 1

The streets of the city glimmered and gleamed under the fresh glazing of recent rainfall, the shadows and reflections of streetlights playing on the shallow puddles that dotted the sidewalks and back alleyways. Every street seemed to be a sea of car roofs and people, going to and fro along the sidewalks and roadways, each of them completely absorbed in their own sense of immediate purpose. The tracks of the city monorail weaved between the looming spires of buildings, hanging above the streets like the iron skeleton of a massive serpent. The smell of car exhaust, fresh rain and blood permeated the air and hung in the fog, a ghost of this city's unspoken evils. This was not a friendly city. This place was cold, harsh and unforgiving. This city would chew you up and spit you out before you knew what had happened. This was the very definition of a criminal paradise. It was obvious, if you knew where to look. Shady back-alley businessmen carrying guns under their long raincoats, junkies hunched over on the stoops of tenement buildings like street-level gargoyles, waiting like zombies for their next fix. Cops taking hush money from whoever the messenger of the week was. Muggers and thieves picked the pockets of whoever was unfortunate enough to get too close to them.

Gotham City.

Some called Gotham home, while others called it a chunk of Hell, spat forth unto the Earth. Some called it beyond help, too far gone into madness and corruption; some said it was a cause worth fighting for. But there was one lone man who didn't call it anything. One man who didn't care about how far gone it seemed to be. Because he knew that this city belonged to him, and he would never give up, never surrender and never quit on the people of Gotham City.

He sat, perched on a rooftop like a silent, black sentinel. He loomed over the streets of Gotham like a shadow, watching. Waiting. He knew there were those down below, pacing the streets of his city, who didn't even believe he existed. To them, he was a rumor; an urban legend; something invented by the newspapers to scare all the bank robbers and purse snatchers. But the big-time criminals, they knew the truth. They had seen him up close and personal. They knew that he was as real as the pavement beneath their feet. Those of them that believed in him and those that didn't, each knew his name well.

The Batman.

He stood from his crouched position, pulling his glance from the streets below to the skyline off to the south. A brilliant light shone up into the sky, seeming to stop and lie flat against the canopy of gray clouds that seemed to hang eternally over Gotham City. The black outline of a bat sat within the circle of light. Without hesitation, Batman withdrew a grappling hook from his belt and fired it at the concrete edge of an adjacent building, testing the line before pulling himself up off the ground and swinging through the air, gliding over the streets of his city like the creature of the night he was.

Moments later, he felt solid ground beneath his feet again as he landed solidly on the rooftop of Gotham City Police headquarters. He could see the outline of a man standing next to an enormous spotlight. Batman took a brief few seconds to confirm that the man was alone, and then stepped out of the shadows.

"Gordon." He said in a deep, slightly gruff voice.

The other man jumped, turning quickly to face The Batman. He was silent for a moment, then switched off the spotlight.

"You got here quicker than I thought. We've got a bit of a problem." Jim Gordon, commissioner of the police, looked the costumed man up and down as he placed half a cigar in his mouth and lit it. The Batman stood silently, emotionless as Gordon continued. "We had a report of shots fired about forty-five minutes ago over near Gotham University. Two units responded and never returned radio contact. We sent backup, now they've gone dark. Then, about five minutes ago, we got reports from a campus security radio that there's some sort of hostage situation in the science building."

Batman's eyes narrowed and he unconsciously glanced over the skyline near the university.

"Any information as to who's behind it?" He growled, turning his attention back to Gordon.

Gordon shrugged, taking another puff off the cigar. "Campus security never had a clue that anything was wrong until our guys showed up; which tells me it's someone with access to the campus security system. Faculty?"

"Or former faculty." Batman said gravely. "You said it was the science building?"

Gordon nodded. "Yeah. Come to think of it, the radio transmission from campus security said something about a professor."

Batman again looked off toward the campus. "A former science professor breaking into the University and taking hostages?"

"Not exactly." Gordon said, "He wasn't acting alone. Initial radio contact said there were multiple subjects."

"You said you lost radio contact with your men?" The Batman asked, looking back to Gordon.

"Both teams." Gordon replied, walking to the edge of the rooftop and looking off toward the University. "You got any idea as to what you're dealing with?" He turned to look back to the Batman, only to find himself alone on the rooftop. Gordon shrugged and shook his head, tossed his cigar to the ground and smashed it out with his shoe before heading back inside.

Batman found a decent vantage point on the dormitory rooftop and perched, trying to get a good look into the science building. He withdrew a very sophisticated pair of binoculars from his belt and flipped a switch on them before putting them to his eyes.

The display on the binoculars removed the solid wall of the building from his field of vision and displayed the skeletal outline of the men inside. There were six of them on their knees, lined up against the far wall; three more paced the row with handguns drawn while another two were positioned just outside the classroom door. At the rear of the room another single individual was rummaging through cabinets and cupboards, shoving items into some sort of bag. Batman flipped a switch again on the binoculars and the display became more detailed, outlining the man's build, features and wardrobe. A slightly oversized top hat sat atop the man's head.

"Tetch." Batman growled, placing the binoculars back in his belt. Just as he'd suspected. Jervis Tetch was the former science professor at Gotham University, before he had gone insane and began doing neural experiments on his students. Batman had captured him and thrown him into Arkham only three months ago. Apparently, The Mad Hatter was looking to continue his research and perfect his mind-control technology. Unfortunately, this meant that the accomplices that Tetch was working with were most likely Gotham cops under his mind control influence. Batman was going to have to play this one very carefully.

He started by swinging up onto the roof of the adjacent science building and looking for an exterior vent cover. He found it and quietly removed the cover, slipping inside silently. He made his way down the vent as stealthily as he could, until finally arriving at the point he was looking for. He was in the hallway, positioned just outside and above the classroom door. Two armed police officers stood silently beneath him, scanning the hallway for intruders. Batman pulled a small electric drill from his utility belt and attached a screwdriver bit, unscrewing the vent cover, thankful that the electric buzz of the motor inside the device was as quiet as it was. Once he had it free, he pulled it into the vent with him and dropped down onto the tile floor behind the cops, not making a sound as he landed.

Batman used both hands to reach out and pluck the hats from the officer's heads, instantly freeing them from Mad Hatter's control. He then clamped a hand over both their mouths, preventing them from crying out in surprise. When the officers realized it was him, they fell silent. Fear and shock was played clearly on their faces as Batman put a finger to his lips and then pointed out the front door. The officers nodded and walked out of the building as the Dark Knight turned his attention back to the classroom door and what was behind it.

Batman pulled a small round device from his belt and pushed a small blue button on it. The device made a high pitched electronic whir and every light in the building went out at the same time. Batman smiled to himself, feeling quite at home in the pitch darkness. He replaced the device in its proper place and again withdrew his binoculars, activating the night vision setting before silently heading through the door.

The six hostages were still lined up against the wall and the three police officers were trying desperately to see through the inky darkness, their guns aimed at nothing. Tetch was still in the back room, standing as still as a statue and, more than likely, trying to hear any noises from the other room. Batman took quick stock of the situation and went to work.

He started with the nearest police officer, clamping a hand around his mouth and firmly grabbing hold of the nerve cluster just below the jugular vein. He felt the cop go limp, unconscious. Batman removed the hat from his head and tossed it aside, moving on to the next officer and successfully repeating his technique. The third cop was pacing the length of the room, turning to the left, then the right. Batman circled him three times before he could get behind him and close enough to snatch the hat from his head. The cop gasped loudly and whirled around; trying to see what could not be seen. Tetch's control over him was gone, so Batman left him alone as he turned toward the back room. The loud crash of a window breaking rang out through the darkness and it made the Dark Knight stop for an instant. Tetch was getting away.

"No." Batman growled, picking up his pace as he broke through the door and ran to the window in time to see Tetch sprinting across the football field behind the university. Batman didn't hesitate to leap from the window in pursuit. Broken glass tore at his arms and legs as he jumped through and he felt little tinges of pain, but paid them no attention. As soon as he hit the ground, Batman reached behind him and pulled a very special item from the small of his back.

It resembled a sawed-off shotgun, but with three barrels and much more high tech. Batman hit a blue button on the side of the grip and the barrel of the gun rotated automatically, the end of the proper barrel lighting up with a blue LED light as it locked into place. Batman pumped the device once, locking in the pressure needed to fire.

The pursuit continued into the street as Batman gained ground on the Mad Hatter. Tetch looked behind him, apparently not intimidated by the threat that the Dark Knight presented. When he saw nothing there, he let himself smirk. He had gotten away after all. Just as he turned to look in front of him again, he heard what sounded like a suppressed gunshot and suddenly he felt a sharp sting in his right ankle, then he found himself unable to move his feet at all. He fell face first onto the pavement, smashing his nose as his signature top hat tumbled off his head and rolled a few feet down the street. Tetch looked down to his feet and found a bat-shaped wire snare wrapped firmly around his ankles, then looked up to watch a large black boot come rushing down out of the shadows of the adjacent alleyway, crushing his beloved hat.

"It's over, Tetch. You lose." Batman stood triumphantly over the prone body of the Mad Hatter, his blue eyes shining with the light of the street lamp.

"Nothing's over Batman!" Tetch spat. "This is just the beginning! You have no idea what's coming!"

The symphony of police sirens cut through the curses flying out of Tetch's mouth as Gordon's squad rounded the corner. Batman recognized the first police officer he had freed at the University get out of the lead car, followed closely by Gordon himself.

"Looks like your ride's here, Jervis." Batman growled, turning his attention to the approaching police, then back to Tetch. "Enjoy your stay at Arkham."

As Gordon and the police arrived, Batman ducked into the alleyway without a word and withdrew his grappling hook, speeding up through the air and onto the rooftops. He took a moment to watch the police cuff Tetch and put him in the back of a squad car before he turned and began heading north.

Batman landed back on street level a few moments later. He took stock of his location and stopped when he saw the street sign on the corner.

Crime Alley.

Behind the emotionless exterior of The Batman, Bruce Wayne had a silent moment of pain and regret. The same spot where both his parents had been gunned down by a mugger decades ago. The same spot where this had all started. The spot where his family had died, and The Batman had been born.

The moment passed and Batman continued a block up and ducked into another alley, pressing a button on the inside of his right wrist. A pair of headlights lit up the stretch of road, followed by the roar of a car engine. Batman climbed into his personal transportation, the Batmobile, and headed out of Gotham City.

Fifteen minutes later, the Batmobile breached a waterfall at the end of a dirt road. The forest to the north of Gotham was thick, dark and quiet. Just the way Batman liked it. The path beyond the waterfall turned to smooth concrete and ended in a massive subterranean chamber. Another section of the river flowed through the cave straight ahead, while a set of steel stairs led up to another level of the cave to the right. To the left was a sheer cliff that may have dropped hundreds of feet.

Batman killed the engine and stepped out of the car, heading up the stairs. Another huge chamber opened up ahead of him, this one equipped with a man-made platform full of computer monitors. Next to this, a lower section consisted of all manner of power tools and machinery for creating weaponry and performing maintenance on the Batmobile. At the rear of the computer chamber was a large glass case, sectioned off and containing a variety of costumes from over the years. Adjacent was a sectioned off room that served to house the Batsuit, any equipment and weapons Batman would need, as well as any items that were currently in a development phase. Above this was a higher chamber containing various confiscated items from his exploits and adventures. Beneath the lower level and the machinery, a walkway was laid out over the path of another waterfall and led to a stone staircase. This would lead to the cave's upper chamber and the many entrances to and from Wayne Manor.

Batman climbed the stairs and immediately headed through the heavy steel door that led into what he called his 'locker room.' It took a few moments, but when he emerged from the other side of the room, He was Bruce Wayne again, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting track pants. He walked the length of the room and sat at his computer system, typing the name Jervis Tetch into the computer and adding details from tonight's incident to the existing file. Once finished, Bruce sat and thought.

What was Tetch after? What did he mean by 'just the beginning?' was there a larger plan behind all this?

"I'm relieved to see that you've made it home in one piece, Master Bruce." Alfred's clipped, British accent echoed off the cave walls.

Bruce looked up and found Alfred standing in front of him, a small tray containing a sandwich and a glass of milk in one hand and a first-aid kit in the other. Bruce smiled and took the milk, waving away the first-aid kit with his free hand.

"Not necessary tonight, Alfred." Bruce said between gulps of milk. He took the sandwich and chewed out a big bite.

"Very well, sir." Alfred said, turning to take the items back upstairs.

"Alfred?" Bruce said, trying not to talk with his mouth full.

"Yes, sir?"

"Jervis Tetch escaped Arkham again. I think we should put some thought into helping them out with their security. Send their board of trustees a couple million tomorrow, would you?"

"Of course, Master Bruce." Alfred said with a smile. "You really ought to retire for the evening, sir. You look quite tired."

"Good idea." Bruce said, the last bite of sandwich still in his mouth. Alfred rolled his eyes disapprovingly at him and the two men headed up into the house together.