Where Angels Fear to Tread

Somewhere, a baby is crying.

Somewhere, three different people, in three different alleyways, are being mugged.

Somewhere, someone is begging no, please, no.

Somewhere, someone screams.

But here, there is a bank being robbed, and hostages. Here, there are people with too big guns and no problems with using them. Here is where the Bat is.

Because no matter what he wishes, he cannot be everywhere at once.

It takes a while. Eventually, though, the hostages are free and the guns are destroyed and the gunmen led away by the GCPD. They are bruised, a little bloody, but they'll live. Secretly, the police like to think those wounds are more revenge for their crimes than jail time will ever be, no matter how small it is. The Bat thinks it will never be enough, but knows he must go no further.

Somewhere, a child is crying.

Somewhere, three different people, in three different alleyways, are being shot.

Somewhere, someone is begging, please, stop, no.

Somewhere, people gape silently, eyes wide and mouths bloody.

Somewhere, people are dying and somewhere, people are dead.

The Bat flies through the city, an intimidating figure in black, a dark knight, saving the ones he can and mourning the ones he cannot. He fights and fights and fights, gaining his own little wounds and occasionally a few big ones. When he falls, he gets back up, because there is always someone to save, because no matter what he wishes he cannot be everywhere at once.

Somewhere, a signal shines. Bright in the ever dark sky, a symbol of darkness and a symbol of light, a request for protection knowing that it will be granted. A signal for the Bat.

He leaves his patrol route, heading toward the familiar signal, ignoring the bitter taste in his mouth, a mixture of coppery blood and the knowledge that somewhere, there are people that he could have saved. But he must put that aside, because the signal tells of approaching danger (but danger is never far, oh no, it is down the street, around the corner, on your doorstep, in your home) and this danger threatens the entire city. So, with this bitterness in him, familiar and biting, he sacrifices the few to save the many. He cannot convince himself that it is better this way, those same people and many more would have died if he had stopped to save them instead of handling the threat - even if maybe it's true - because it's not his right to decide these things, and those people had lives and families and didn't need to die.

Somewhere, people are crying.

Somewhere, three different people, in three different houses, write goodbye letters.

Somewhere, someone is praying, please, save me, please.

Somewhere, people wonder if today will be their last.

Everywhere, people are scared.

Gotham City is a place where angels fear to tread.

But they have their own protector. He is not an angel. He is a man. He is a dark knight.

He is a Bat.

And although the Bat cannot be everywhere at once, he does his best to protect the people of his city. Because while Gotham is a dark, disgusting, crime-filled hellhole, a place where angels fear to tread-

-it's home.